1729 also saw the establishment of the Commissioners of Inland Navigation for Ireland. They assessed a number of proposals, authorising work on the Newry Navigation in 1731 and a canal from Coalisland to the Blackwater in 1732. The canal would be around long, and would run broadly parallel to the River Torrent. Work began in the summer of 1733, with Acheson Johnson supervising the project. Progress was very slow, and the plan suffered from the fact that the head of navigation was still a considerable distance from the pits at Drumglass. A company was created in 1749, led by the Archbishops of Armagh and Tuam, among others, which asked the government for assistance with the construction of of roadway to link Drumglass to the canal. They were awarded a grant of £4,000 to aid the project. By this time, the pits were quite productive, and could have supplied all of Dublin's needs. It was estimated that once the road and canal were finished, the coal could be sold in Dublin for six shillings (30 pence) per ton, around one third of the cost before construction started.