Irish Sea Bridge
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The Irish Sea Bridge, sometimes called the Celtic Crossing by the media, is a hypothetical rail and road bridge that would span the
Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...
and connect the island of
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
to the island of
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
. It is one of a number of such proposed fixed sea links across Ireland and Britain. The bridge's length would depend upon the route taken; one such route, known as the Galloway route, would cross the North Channel, close to that taken by an existing ferry service, between
Portpatrick Portpatrick is a village and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in the historical county of Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located on the west coast of the Rhins of Galloway. The parish is about in length and in br ...
in
Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway (; ) is one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, located in the western part of the Southern Uplands. It is bordered by East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire to the north; Scottish Borders to the no ...
, and
Larne Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic territory)Larne/Latharna
Placenames Database of Ireland.
is a to ...
in
County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, a distance of . The concept of an Irish Sea Bridge had been proposed many times since the Victorian Era. In 2018 Professor Alan Dunlop at the
University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...
revived the idea. By February 2020, British government officials began scoping the possible route and type of crossing. Particular risks to such a project include the depth of North Channel and the presence of a large underwater munitions dump at Beaufort's Dyke. It was suggested that these problems would be mitigated in part by the construction of a tunnelled section. A full feasibility study was published in November 2021. It estimated that a bridge would cost £335 billion, and a tunnel £209 billion. The study concluded that, although the technology exists to build either, any bridge would be " the longest span bridge built to date" and the tunnel would be " the longest undersea tunnel ever built".


Concept


Proposal

The idea for a Scotland to Northern Ireland Bridge, sometimes branded in the press as the "Celtic Crossing" or "Irish Sea Bridge", was revived in 2018, by Professor Alan Dunlop at the
University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...
. He proposed a combined road and rail crossing between
Portpatrick Portpatrick is a village and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in the historical county of Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located on the west coast of the Rhins of Galloway. The parish is about in length and in br ...
, in Dumfries and Galloway, and
Larne Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic territory)Larne/Latharna
Placenames Database of Ireland.
is a to ...
in Northern Ireland, stating that "the coastline between each country is more sheltered and the waterway better protected" than the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
, where, as Foreign Secretary,
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
had speculated on a possible bridge. He suggested that this would create a 'Celtic powerhouse' due to the potential for an increase in trade between the two countries, and the increase in investment from the construction of the project which he put at between £15 billion and £20 billion (a fraction of the £120 billion cost of the proposed bridge over the English Channel). At the Urbanism at Borders Conference in Aberdeen, Professor Dunlop later pitched the idea of the bridge at a keynote speech to an audience of international academics, architects, and engineers at Robert Gordon University.


Engineering

Proposals to overcome the problems presented by the Beaufort's Dyke Trench, if it could not be cleared, include floating the bridge on deep connecting sea orbs connected to the seabed with tension cables, similar to those used on bridges in Norway. Professor Dunlop also suggested that the construction processes used for the
Øresund Bridge The Øresund or Öresund Bridge is a combined List of road–rail bridges, railway and motorway cable-stayed bridge across the Øresund strait between Denmark and Sweden. It is the second longest bridge in Europe and combines both roadway and r ...
be looked at as a model for such a bridge. The Øresund bridge had, by 2018, provided a £10 bn return on its initial investment. However, it has 3 million people living within either end of the bridge, and the North Channel does not have a local population of this size. Furthermore the Øresund Bridge was built in waters not over deep. Other suggestions for overcoming issues linked to Beaufort's Dyke have subsequently included a partially tunneled section (similar to that of the Øresund Bridge), or incorporating
artificial island An artificial island or man-made island is an island that has been Construction, constructed by humans rather than formed through natural processes. Other definitions may suggest that artificial islands are lands with the characteristics of hum ...
s to link tunnels to the bridge. It has also been suggested that such a bridge or tunnel would be able to link up with the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway and a possible Belfast to Dublin high speed rail being studied for viability as of 2020. The different rail gauges in Great Britain () and the island of Ireland () are mutually incompatible however, so this would have to be resolved with a
break of gauge With railways, a break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge (the distance between the rails, or between the wheels of trains designed to run on those rails) meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and railroad car, rolling stock g ...
system such as transshipment, bogie exchange, dual gauge rolling stock or Gauge Changer axles such as the Talgo-RD system amongst others. Rail industry leaders in the UK's High Speed Rail Group have demonstrated support for the tunnel proposal. By October 2018, the first concept images of the proposed bridge had been released.


Economics

'' The National'', a Scottish newspaper, suggested the idea "would be a huge boost to the economies of both countries, opening up trade and putting the otherwise neglected far South West of Scotland in the centre of a major route". It did, however, also state that, "There would have to be massive investment in infrastructure to upgrade the road and rail connections, especially on the Scottish side. The main roads leading to Stranraer are narrow, twisting, and unsuited for the amount of traffic that they currently have, never mind the increased traffic that would be generated by a fixed link. The single rail line from Ayr to
Stranraer Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; ), also known as The Toon or The Cleyhole, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on Loch Ryan and the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland. Stranraer is Dumfries ...
would have to be upgraded and electrified, and the rail link from Stranraer to Dumfries reinstated". It has been suggested that the A75 road would need to be upgraded to handle the additional traffic; however, the Scottish government and Department for Transport had already received local requests to hold consultation on upgrading this road. In terms of its potential to link up communities and improve infrastructure Professor Dunlop has also noted the similarities between such a bridge and the Norwegian Coastal Highway, which forms a route crossing 20 fjords between Kristiansand and Trondheim, with 9 ferries but suggested to be using floating bridges and tunnels at a cost of around £30bn. Further support has come from the fact that this part of Scotland has a large number of established
ports and harbours Ports collections (or ports trees, or just ports) are the sets of makefiles and patches provided by the BSD-based operating systems, FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD, as a simple method of installing software or creating binary packages. They are u ...
, meaning it could form an epicenter for trade to America, Canada, the Caribbean and Scandinavia for both Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as the UK, Ireland and Europe more generally. It was also suggested that depending on the relationship of Scotland and Northern Ireland with the EU after Brexit the EU could use the port at
Cockenzie Cockenzie and Port Seton ( ; ) is a unified town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is on the coast of the Firth of Forth, four miles east of Musselburgh. The burgh of Cockenzie was created in 1591 by James VI of Scotland. Port Seton harbour was bu ...
and the Scotland-Ireland bridge as a means of transporting EU goods to Ireland via the Netherlands. By early October 2019 it was reported that the Scottish government had plans to re-purpose the nearby disused port at Stranraer as a lorry park in the event of a "No Deal" Brexit, due to concerns about traffic flows from Northern Ireland. It has been suggested that a bridge could help alleviate some of the potential pressure of traffic flows. Commentators in the ''i'' newspaper also suggested that such a bridge would have the potential to create a "tourism corridor" between Northern Ireland and Scotland. It has also been suggested that with increasing demand for travel between Great Britain and the island of Ireland (London to Dublin being the busiest air route in Europe), that the bridge could have a positive environmental impact by reducing the demand for flights. The Glasgow Urban Laboratory had published a report suggesting that a high-speed rail link connecting Edinburgh to Dublin via Glasgow and Belfast would be "transformative" for the economies of both Scotland and Ireland saying, "fast-track rail links, both within Scotland and linking to other countries, and an updated road system, are priorities". Senior economist Esmond Birnie at the
University of Ulster Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...
claimed that "Recent economic theory has emphasised the advantages of "agglomeration" arising from faster, cheaper transport: bigger and better labour markets and increased networking between firms" and put the annual benefit from the bridge in the hundreds of millions.


Political and public support

So far the project has at various times received support from senior politicians in both the UK and in Ireland, and across a number of political parties. The project has also received support from newspapers, periodicals, and engineering and logistics trade bodies. Support The project was first endorsed in late February 2018 by SNP Scottish Brexit Minister Michael Russell MSP, who when addressing Ireland's Seanad joint committee on European Union affairs stated that "I think it's a great idea, it would open up my constituency and that's a good headline to see. There is a lot of talking to be done about that but I think it is important that talking starts. I know recent coverage indicates that it should happen". In February 2018, Irish
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade () is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Minister's office is located at Iveagh House, on St Stephen's Green in Dublin; "Iveagh H ...
, Simon Coveney, publicly called for a feasibility study into the bridge during an address at
Chatham House The Royal Institute of International Affairs, also known as Chatham House, is a British think tank based in London, England. Its stated mission is "to help governments and societies build a sustainably secure, prosperous, and just world". It ...
following a meeting with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, suggesting it was a means of nurturing the relations between the United Kingdom and Ireland, despite the challenges presented. By March 2018, the idea appeared to have the full support of the Scottish government, with a spokesman telling the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
that it intended to "initiate discussions" on the bridge with both parties in Belfast, and the government of Ireland. and that Transport Scotland officials would be conducting talks with their counterparts in Northern Ireland. Mike Russell MSP said he had been in touch with Professor Alan Dunlop to discuss the bridge, claiming that "A bridge, together with better road links to the central belt, would open up Argyll in a dramatic new way" and that he was "keen to see public bodies investigate the feasibility of such a link". He went on to claim that Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Transport Scotland were willing to contribute funds towards a feasibility study. By April 2018, the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim had extended an invitation, on behalf of the council, to the relevant bodies in the government to further explore Larne as the possible end site for the bridge. The Mayor cited the short distance to Belfast, as well as the county's extensive film, tourism and leisure industries as reasons for consideration. On 25 April 2018 Ards and North Down Borough Council voted to write to the Scottish government, the
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland The secretary of state for Northern Ireland (; ), also referred to as Northern Ireland Secretary or SoSNI, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the Northern Ireland Office. The offi ...
, and the Department for Infrastructure requesting the east coast of the borough also be considered as a possible end site for the bridge. The council's official opposition had objected to the request, claiming that the council should instead support the claim of neighbouring county Mid and East Antrim, as they believe the infrastructure already exists in Larne, while
Donaghadee Donaghadee ( , ) is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the northeast coast of the Ards Peninsula, about east of Belfast and about six miles (10 km) south east of Bangor, County Down, Bangor. It is in the Civil paris ...
would be unprepared for the impact of such a bridge. The ''Belfast Telegraph'' suggested that this was reminiscent of ancient rivalries between the local ports. A spokesman for the Scottish government suggested that speculation on possible impacts on specific sites was premature as the project, including the design for the crossing, was still in its early stages. A spokesman for the Scottish government had previously stated that "Given the scale of any such fixed link, it is important that all options are fully considered". In July,
Arlene Foster Arlene Isobel Foster, Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (née Kelly; born 17 July 1970), is a British broadcaster and politician from Northern Ireland who is serving as Chair of Intertrade UK since September 2024. She previously served as First ...
, then former First Minister in Northern Ireland, agreed that there appeared to be a growing support for the bridge in Northern Ireland. In August 2018,
Jane Morrice Jane Morrice (born 11 May 1954) is a Northern Irish politician and journalist who helped architect the Good Friday Agreement. She is the former Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, former Head of the European Commission Office in Nor ...
, former Deputy Speaker to the Northern Irish Assembly, suggested that funding possibilities for the bridge were "vast", with private investors seeking infrastructure projects and investment from China. She also suggested funding could be raised from "EU sources
hich Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...
could include the cross-border INTERREG programme, the European Investment Bank, the TransEuropean Network and HORIZON 2020. The EU PEACE programme could be another valuable source because the bridge would still respect the Good Friday Agreement by promoting peace and prosperity in the region." She claimed that "The political and symbolic importance of such a link can't be underestimated, and the economic, social and cultural advantages could be significant". In 2018, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Karen Bradley Dame Karen Anne Bradley (; born 12 March 1970) is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Staffordshire Moorlands (UK Parliament cons ...
responding to questions in parliament suggested that the bridge was being discussed by the cabinet. In 2019,
First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland () is the head of government of Scotland. The first minister leads the Scottish Government, the Executive (government), executive branch of the devolved government and is th ...
Nicola Sturgeon spoke out in favour of the bridge, stating that "Whether it's around a bridge or in other ways strengthening the relationship between Scotland, the north of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is a big priority for my government." As part of his campaign for the
2019 Conservative Party leadership election The 2019 Conservative Party leadership election was triggered when Theresa May announced on 24 May 2019 that she would resign as Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), leader of the Conservative Party on 7 June and as Prime Minister of the Unite ...
, Boris Johnson suggested that he supported the construction of the bridge, describing himself as "an enthusiast for that idea", and adding that he believed it would be best "championed by local people with local consent and interest, backed by local business". In September 2019, when asked to comment on the project, the
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy The secretary of state for business and trade (business secretary), is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Department for Business and Trade. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of t ...
Andrea Leadsom Dame Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (; ; born 13 May 1963) is a British politician who served in various ministerial positions under Prime Ministers David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak between 2014 and 2024. A member of the Co ...
said the UK had "amazing ambitions for the future". ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
''s Europe Correspondent suggested that the UK was lagging behind by not taking the construction of the bridge seriously, suggesting that other countries had already invested in such bridges. The newspaper cited the example of Japan's islands of
Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
and
Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
, which are linked by the Seikan Tunnel which exceeds the length of the proposed bridge. It also cited the examples of the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link and the Helsinki-Tallinn Tunnel as evidence that the UK was lagging behind comparative European nations. While addressing supporters for the bridge in Northern Ireland, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is quoted as having said "With infrastructure projects, finance is not the issue, the issue is political will, the issue is getting the business community to see that this could be something that works for them, the issue is getting popular demand and popular consent for a great infrastructure project – and that is why you need Stormont." In late September 2019, a group of engineers wrote to ''
National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
'' magazine agreeing that it was "technically possible and far from unrealistic to build" the bridge. In October 2019, Irish Taoiseach
Leo Varadkar Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2017 to 2020 and from 2022 to 2024, as Tánaiste from 2020 to 2022, and as leader of Fine Gael from 2017 to 2024. A Teachta Dála, ...
said "Prime Minister Johnson is genuinely interested in taking a serious look at this idea of building a bridge between Antrim and Scotland...I know people dismiss it, but I don't. It needs to be looked at. It needs to be at least examined". He later added "I know people dismiss these things out of hand, but they used to dismiss the Channel Tunnel as well – the idea of building a tunnel between France and Britain – and I know what I see when I see a bridge tunnel between Denmark and Sweden, when you fly over New Orleans and you see 110 miles of bridge, it's extraordinary". In March 2020,
Secretary of State for Scotland The secretary of state for Scotland (; ), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Scotland Office. The incum ...
Alister Jack told the Scottish Parliament that he supported a fixed link. In October 2020, specialist vehicle suppliers looked at which potential future engineering innovations would be most welcomed by truck drivers with the Irish Sea Bridge being one of the most supported. In February 2021, it was reported that both transport industry
think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...
Greengauge 21 and rail industry leaders in The High Speed Rail Group supported a fixed link. Opposition Other politicians and public officials have opposed the bridge, such as Conservative Party MP
Simon Hoare Simon James Hoare (born 28 June 1969) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Dorset since 2015. He was formerly Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government from Novemb ...
and
Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded as the Ulster Unionist Council in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it l ...
leader Steve Aiken. Minister of Infrastructure
Nichola Mallon Nichola Mallon (born 23 August 1979) is a former politician from Northern Ireland who served as Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) from 2017 to 2022. She served as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for ...
of the
Social Democratic and Labour Party The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP; ) is a social democratic and Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. The SDLP currently has eight members in the Northern Ireland Assembly ( MLAs) and two members of Parliament (M ...
has also expressed opposition to the proposals. Mallon's counterpart, and former Scottish Transport Secretary Michael Matheson has described the concept as a "vanity project", and stated that it would not proceed within
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
's lifetime. In July 2021, Boris Johnson's own former Chief Advisor
Dominic Cummings Dominic Mckenzie Cummings (born 25 November 1971) is a British political strategist who served as Chief Adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson from 24 July 2019 until he resigned on 13 November 2020. From 2007 to 2014, he was a speci ...
controversially claimed that the plan did not have a credible basis beyond Johnson's desire to appear to be "getting things done". In a BBC interview, he stated that "He didn't have a plan ... he didn't have an agenda. You know, the Prime Minister's only agenda is buy more trains, buy more buses, have more bikes and build the world's most stupid tunnel to Ireland, that's it."


Issues relating to Beaufort's Dyke

In October 2018, MP Paul Girvan, transport spokesman for the DUP wrote an article in support of the bridge, stating that the munitions dumped in Beaufort's Dyke after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, often cited as a hurdle for the bridge project, are already washing up on beaches in Ireland and the UK and so a cleanup operation was already necessary regardless of whether the bridge was going to be built. In November 2018, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Karen Bradley Dame Karen Anne Bradley (; born 12 March 1970) is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Staffordshire Moorlands (UK Parliament cons ...
indicated the government was aware of the issues, such as munitions and waste, regarding the seabed in this area, and that it was being discussed by cabinet as part of wider discussions around the bridge. In November 2020, a study carried out on behalf of the UK & Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) found that nuclear waste had been deposited in Beaufort's Dyke, with much of it "short-dumped" outside of the Dyke itself, leading to uncertainty over how much radioactive material lies in the trench. NFLA campaigners described the report as "alarming" and called on authorities in Britain and Ireland to review measures designed to protect ferries, oil tankers and fishing trawlers that operate near the Dyke. A
British Geological Survey The British Geological Survey (BGS) is a partly publicly funded body which aims to advance Earth science, geoscientific knowledge of the United Kingdom landmass and its continental shelf by means of systematic surveying, monitoring and research. ...
also confirmed that explosions generated by degrading munitions are a relatively frequent occurrence. This prompted calls for authorities to clear the Dyke. In November 2020, further support came for a fixed link to reduce sea traffic and avoid the issue of ship collisions with submarines navigating near the dyke for testing. This followed a report from the
Marine Accident Investigation Branch The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is a UK government organisation, authorised to investigate all maritime accidents in UK waters and accidents involving UK registered ships worldwide. Investigations are limited to establishing ca ...
which reported an incident of a passenger ferry almost colliding with a submarine. In November 2021, South Scotland MSP
Emma Harper Emma Harper is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. She has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the South Scotland region since the 2016 Scottish Parliament election. Early life Harper was born and raised on a farm near ...
sought agreement from the UK government that a full safety assessment would be carried out of Beaufort's Dyke, and asked for assurances that after the A75 road upgrade and the possible construction of a new nuclear power station in England, the UK Government would not once again consider Beaufort's Dyke as a nuclear waste dumping site.


Development

In 2019, Boris Johnson had requested civil servants in the
Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be ...
and
Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport ...
undertake a cost and risk analysis of the proposed bridge, with special attention to be paid to possible funding options. The Department for Transport had reportedly already produced a factual paper on the subject for a former transport secretary. By February 2020, British government officials had been tasked with scoping out the full cost of building the bridge, though Number 10 would not confirm how many civil servants were working on the project. In June 2020, Downing Street confirmed that the Prime Minister Boris Johnson remained committed to the project. Following a freedom of information request questions were raised by the media as to whether the project had been shelved while civil servants were focused elsewhere during the
COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. A Cabinet Office spokesman responded that the bridge continued to be considered "at a very early stage", but that it remained a consideration as part of many "general options to improve connectivity between the nations of the UK". The Prime Minister's spokesman later confirmed that the government remained committed to the bridge, stating "We have commissioned some internal work and we are looking at the feasibility of it, there's no change to that. The prime minister's views on this subject are very well known." At the end of June Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government announced that the funding for the bridge was being considered as part of their post-COVID-19 plan to revitalize the economy by increasing and improving the UK's infrastructure.


Hendy review

In October 2020, it was announced that Sir Peter Hendy would lead an independent review into the feasibility of various projects designed to improve the UK's infrastructure. This would include the Irish Sea Bridge. The analysis on the bridge would be undertaken by Douglas Oakervee. Oakervee had expressed concern that since the collapse of Flybe there are fewer opportunities to travel from Great Britain to the island of Ireland and that a rail bridge or tunnel could do something about the issue. In March 2021, Sir Peter Hendy's interim report recommended a full feasibility study be undertaken by engineers into the bridge. As a result, two engineers assessed the potential project, to build an outline of cost and timescale and the associated works needed. The two engineers appointed were Douglas Oakervee, (former chairman of HS2 and Crossrail), and Gordon Masterson, (former vice-president of Jacobs Engineering). The full cost of the review was £896,681 according to figures from the Department for Transport. In September 2021, unidentified sources within the British Treasury informed the ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
'' that regardless of the findings of the feasibility study the bridge or tunnel would likely be one of the early casualties of the spending review led by then
Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...
Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak (born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2022 to 2024. Following his defeat to Keir Starmer's La ...
describing it to be "dead, at least for now" as a project. The feasibility study was published in November 2021. It estimated that a bridge would cost £335 billion, and a tunnel £209 billion. The report concluded that the cost of the fixed link, in either form, was "impossible to justify", and though noted "the economic viability of the provision of such a link is not within the scope of hestudy", recommended that "further work on the fixed link should not progress beyond this feasibility study". The study estimated that the bridge would take thirty years to construct, and would require "very significant oad and railworks" on either side. The report did note that the project would "likely give rise to more than 35,000 new jobs and apprenticeships for the design and construction phase alone" and could "revitalise parts of the United Kingdom's industry". From an environmental standpoint it was noted that the bridge should be "carbon neutral within 40 to 60 years after construction", and as a "bridge could be used as a platform to generate renewable energy from wind, tidal and solar sources", while as a tunnel "could be a heat source through the tunnel lining for its whole length". It was also suggested that a fixed link "would allow cabled and piped utilities and services to replace current seabed crossings with enhanced reliability and reduced maintenance".


See also

* Proposed British Isles fixed sea link connections *
Øresund Bridge The Øresund or Öresund Bridge is a combined List of road–rail bridges, railway and motorway cable-stayed bridge across the Øresund strait between Denmark and Sweden. It is the second longest bridge in Europe and combines both roadway and r ...
between Sweden and Denmark * List of longest bridges *
High Speed 2 High Speed 2 (HS2) is a high-speed railway which has been under construction in England since 2019. The line's planned route is between Handsacre – in southern Staffordshire – and London, with a Spur line, branch to Birmingham. HS2 is to ...
*
Menai suspension bridge The Menai Suspension Bridge ( or ) is a suspension bridge spanning the Menai Strait between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. Designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826, it was the world's first major suspension bridge. Th ...
* London Britannia Airport *
Giant's Causeway The Giant's Causeway () is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcano, volcanic fissure eruption, part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province active in the region during the Paleogene period. ...
* Floating suspension bridge


References

{{reflist Irish Sea Proposed bridges in the United Kingdom Bridges in Ireland Proposed transport infrastructure in Scotland Tunnels in the Republic of Ireland Proposed undersea tunnels in Europe Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border Borders of Scotland