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Could a bridge or tunnel really be built between Scotland and Northern Ireland?
It is an idea that has been suggested multiple times by Boris Johnson and will now be considered as part of a national review of UK transport links.
The study will investigate the feasibility of a fixed link between the two nations, including cost, practicality, and demand.
But some critics have already dismissed the idea as impractical, arguing that it would be better to spend the money elsewhere.
Johnson has put a price of “around £ 15 billion” on the construction of a bridge that could span from Portpatrick in Scotland to Larne in Northern Ireland, a distance of more than 20 miles across the Irish Sea.
The Oresund Bridge links Sweden and Denmark
The Oresund Bridge, which is a 10-mile long road and rail link between Sweden and Denmark, is considered an inspiration for the possible UK crossing.
Structural engineer and bridge designer Ian Firth said the idea has a “lot of technical challenges” but that it “should be possible” even though it would be “incredibly expensive”.
Firth, a fellow at the Institution of Civil Engineers, said in February of a possible bridge: “My own feeling is that it should be possible because at the end of the day it is about money; anything is possible if you throw in enough money.” in that “.
Among the challenges he listed, in addition to the economic and political hurdles, are very deep waters, the risk of a ship hitting the bridge and an underwater ammunition depot at sea.
In March, politicians in Scotland and Northern Ireland told Transport Secretary Grant Shapps that the billions of pounds a fixed link across the Irish Sea would cost could better be spent on vital infrastructure projects.
And a spokesman for the UK Chamber of Shipping said the money should go towards improving road and rail connections to UK ports.
They said: “There are already a number of ferry operators taking tourists and trading between Northern Ireland and Scotland.
“Spending £ 15-20 billion of taxpayer money on a bridge just to replicate what those ferries are already doing is unnecessary.”
Boris Johnson says a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland could cost around £ 15bn
The transport study, led by Network Rail Chairman Sir Peter Hendy, will offer advice on a “wide range of possible options” to improve the quality and availability of links across the UK, Downing Street said.
Downing St said Hendy’s review will also look at the feasibility of other options designed to boost links to Scotland and Wales, including improving major roads like the A1.
In announcing the review, Johnson said: “The UK is the largest political association the world has ever seen and we need transport links between our nations that are as strong as our historic ties.”
The review comes after he pledged £ 100 million on 29 road projects in July, when he laid out how to boost the economy after the coronavirus pandemic.
Sir Peter, who led London’s transport network during the 2012 Olympics, said: ‘Improving links across the UK based on the broader economic benefits that increased investment will bring will be beneficial to everyone in the UK. United”.
You are ready to publish your recommendations next summer.
