UK probing Boris bridge plan linking Scotland to NI

By Karim El-Bar

LONDON (AA) - A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced government officials are officially looking at plans to build a £20 billion ($26 billion), 45-kilometer (28-mile) bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland, much to the ire of his critics.

“This is an idea which the Prime Minister has expressed interest in in the past and I think he said at the time 'watch this space.' The PM set out that this was an idea which he believed could have some merit. As a result of that you would expect government to be looking into it. Work is underway looking into it,” the spokesman said Monday.

“The Prime Minister is ambitious in terms of infrastructure projects. He is looking at a wide range of schemes across the United Kingdom which could boost connectivity,” he said. “Government officials are carrying out work in relation to the idea of a bridge linking Great Britain mainland to Northern Ireland. There's a proper piece of work being carried out into the idea.”

Johnson first raised the idea in 2018 and the route being explored is most likely between Portpatrick in Scotland and Larne in Northern Ireland.

But critics raised three major concerns about the plan.

The first is technical, as the bridge would span across notoriously stormy waters, and require dozens of huge support towers to support its weight, especially as some parts of the route will have depths of more than 304 meters (1,000 feet). It would also have to safely navigate Beaufort’s Dyke, an underwater trench that the British Ministry of Defenae used to dump more than 1 million tons of munitions in 1945 after World War II.

The second is cost, with calls for the £20 billion to be used to improve local rail and road infrastructure instead. “If he has got £20 billion to build such a bridge going spare at the moment – that could be spent on more important priorities,” said Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The third is Johnson’s track record with delivering large infrastructure projects. Local media were quick to point out that as London Mayor, Johnson set in motion preparatory work for a “Garden Bridge” over the River Thames. His successor pulled the plug on the plan due to a series of problems, not least spiraling costs. The failed project cost the city £53 million ($69 million).