‘Boris Bridge’ over Irish Sea too big a stretch at £335bn

THE “Boris Bridge” from Scotland to Northern Ireland has been ditched after a report found it would cost £335billion to construct.

Sir Peter Hendy, the Network Rail chairman, has published his feasibility study into the Prime Minister’s dream of building the structure and has concluded that, while it would be technically possible, it would cost too much.

An alternative tunnel crossing was also ruled out as it was estimated that would cost £209 billion to build.

Sir Peter conceded that “while the economic and social effects would be transformational, the costs would be impossible to justify”, as he cited the Government’s “very significant commitment to long-term transport infrastructure improvement for levelling up”. He added: “It is therefore my recommendation that further work on the fixed link should not progress beyond this feasibility study.”

The Prime Minister first tempered expectations about his proposal for a bridge or tunnel in September, telling reporters that while it remained an “ambition”, it was not “the most immediate” priority.

Sir Peter’s report said that while future technological advances, such as autonomous vehicles, could allow for different tunnel and bridge designs, which could enable the construction of a fixed line at a lower cost, “the benefits could not possibly outweigh the costs to the public purse”.

The proposed route would have crossed water that runs more than 1,000 ft deep in places, and would have required some of the largest support towers ever constructed. The area was also used as a Second World War ammunition dump which posed additional problems and gales across the water raised the prospect of the bridge being frequently forced to close.

Sir Peter added: “Despite my recommendation, I am clear that this was an excellent question to ask.”