Plan for Bridge Between north-east of Ireland and Scotland Scrapped

It has been reported in the Financial Times on Monday that the much derided idea of building a bridge between the north-east of Ireland and Scotland have been scrapped. The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had promoted the idea which had various estimates of cost varying from a minimum of £15 billion to £33 billion. The feasibility of the controversial idea had also been questioned with warnings about the depth of the Irish Sea and the presence of dumped munitions which would cause problems for any crossing.

The decision to scrap the idea is welcomed by administrations in both Scotland and the north of Ireland. Northern Ireland's infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon said she was pleased to hear confirmation that the plans had been shelved and that the money would be better spent on much needed infrastructure improvements. The idea had also been criticised by Scotland's Transport Secretary Michael Matheson saying it could cost as much as £33 billion. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had already dismissed the idea pointing out that the money could be much better used by both devolved administrations.

Image: Possible routes proposed for a bridge between Scotland and north of Ireland image courtesy of Irish News.