‘Boris Bridge’ linking Northern Ireland and Scotland is scrapped
Construction of a bridge linking Scotland with Northern Ireland has been scrapped despite years of vocal support from Boris Johnson.
A feasibility student examining whether the project was possible is expected to advise against going ahead, with the government expected to agree.
The cancellation of the project comes as the SNP called for Scotland to receive a share of the estimated £20 billion the bridge would have cost to build.
The party’s Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, labelled the plans “daft” but claimed the money for the bridge “can and should be made available”.
The recommendation to cancel the project is expected to be confirmed with the publication of Sir Peter Hendy’s Union Connectivity Review.
Ministers asked the transportexpert to examine the links between the four nations of the United kingdom and to recommend
projects to improve public transport connections.
It is likely to recommend significant infrastructure upgrades to potential projects such as the extension of the borders railway to Carlisle.
The so-called “Boris bridge” between Northern Ireland and Scotland was being considered as part of this review, but officialsare said to have ruled it out due to high costs and the engineering challenges involved.
The Irish Sea is more than 1000 ft deep min some parts, meaning it could be difficult to sink support towers into the seabed, while there is also concerns about dumped munitions in Beaufort’s Dyke.
Two links were suggested for the bridge, either linking Portpatrick with Larne, or near Campbeltown to the Antrim coast.
The Department for Transport said Sir Peter’s report will be published “shortly”, but its contents have sparked a row over ‘power grabs’ in Holyrood.
Earlier this year, the then cabinet secretary for transport, Michael Matheson, said money for infrastructure improvements in Scotland should go through existing channels and not come from the connectivity review.
The SNP'S Ian Blackford said the money previously earmarked by the bridge proposal should now be split between Northern Ireland and Scotland. he said :“Boris John son’ s plans for a bridge were daft – but the funding that was suggested for it can and should be made available.”