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A major transport connectivity review is assessing the feasibility of a bridge or tunnel between Northern Ireland and Scotland.<\/p>\nA major transport connectivity review is assessing the feasibility of a bridge or tunnel between Northern Ireland and Scotland.<\/p>\n
The research is being carried out as part of British prime minister Boris Johnson\u2019s bid to improve transport links.<\/p>\n
Peter Hendy, who is carrying out a review of connectivity across the UK, said further work is required on the possibility of a \u201cfixed link\u201d across the Irish Sea.<\/p>\n
Mr Hendy has commissioned two engineering professors to lead a study into the feasibility of a bridge or tunnel between Northern Ireland and Scotland, outlining its cost, timescale and the work involved.<\/p>\n
Mr Johnson has repeatedly spoken about the prospect of a bridge, even though experts have warned that the depth of the Irish Sea and the presence of dumped munitions would cause problems.<\/p>\n
The scheme could cost a reported \u00a320 billion (\u20ac23 billion), although Mr Johnson has previously said it would \u201conly cost about \u00a315 billion\u201d.<\/p>\n
The distance from Larne to Portpatrick, one of the most likely routes for a bridge, is around 28 miles (45km).<\/p>\n
There is no problem with distance, money or the Beaufort\u2019s Dyke explosives disposal area, according to Mr Johnson.<\/p>\n
In November 2018, he said: \u201cThe problem is not the undersea Beaufort\u2019s Dyke or lack of funds. The problem is an absence of political will.\u201d<\/p>\n
England’s transport secretary Grant Shapps rejected a claim by Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon that the money could be better spent elsewhere.<\/p>\n
He told the BBC: \u201cI understand that it is not the responsibility of the Scottish first minister to connect the United Kingdom together. The Scottish first minister doesn\u2019t even believe we should be in a United Kingdom. So I understand her perspective but I think it is wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, if you live in Northern Ireland, you want to know that you can reliably get the hauliers and lorry drivers in with goods from the mainland of the British Isles.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would you ever be against connecting different parts of our country in a better way? It shouldn\u2019t be a controversial thought at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs one small part of this Union connectivity review [we will] undertake a study of the feasibility of doing that and we will report back in the summer.\u201d<\/p>\n
A proposal for an undersea bridge between Ireland and Scotland was dubbed the \u201cBoris Burrow\u201d by the British press earlier this year, with Stormont’s Minister for Infrastructure, Nicola Mallon, dismissing the idea as \u201cnonsense\u201d.<\/p>\n