It was just over two years ago that Professor Alan Dunlop revealed his vision for a bridge linking Northern Ireland and Scotland across the Irish Sea.
Earlier this year the Prime Minister’s spokesman is said to have confirmed that government officials were ‘actively looking into’ the idea of the bridge.
More recently it was suggested that instead of the bridge, they should instead look at a tunnel which would span about 22 miles.
Although there have been those sceptical about either plan, the leading architect is confident the UK has the engineering and architectural talent and capability to build this project.
He has written this article for railbusinessdaily.com about the plans and the impact it could have.
“The ‘Celtic Crossing’ plan was unveiled on the front page of ‘The National’ newspaper in January 2018 and was followed up by media organisations around the world. My proposal united nationalist and unionist politicians on both sides of the Irish Border and on both sides of the Irish Sea. Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, his deputy Simon Coveney, DUP leader Arlene Foster, MSP and Scottish Brexit secretary Mike Russell and Prime Minister Boris Johnson all gave their backing to the plan.
A road and rail link from Portpatrick to Larne is possible and would boost tourism and trade on both sides, while providing an extra needed physical connection. A major challenge that would need to be overcome is Beaufort’s Dyke: a sea trench around 300m deep
which runs parallel to the Dumfries and Galloway coastline and was used as a dumping ground for explosives after the end of the Second World War. However, a possible solution has been pioneered in Norway, using the concept of floating bridges, to overcome the depth and non-contact with the sea bed.
Norway is investing £30bn to create the Norwegian Coastal Highway, a 1100 km route from Kristiansand in the south to Trondheim in the north. The road will cross 20 fjords, some more than 600 metres deep, using floating bridges and tunnel connections. The Norwegian Coastal Highway is a pioneering and remarkable infrastructure project and a sign of confidence for a forward-looking innovative country.
Another possible route for a road and rail crossing is between the Mull of Kintyre and Torr Head on the Antrim Coast, which is just over 12 miles apart. A comparison with the Øresund Bridge can be made here. The Øresund Bridge is a road and rail crossing that connects Copenhagen in Denmark with Malmo in Sweden. Two countries that share a Nordic cultural heritage.
More than 25 million people use the crossing each year and it has made a £10bn return on the initial investment since its opening 19 years ago. It has established the Øresund Economic Region which employs 4m million people.
The case for a road and rail link is not only about economic benefit but also about establishing closer social, cultural and political relations between the UK, Scotland and Ireland in the shifting post Brexit climate and after the Covid 19 pandemic. Like President Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal’, the recovery plan from the Great Depression, a road and rail connection with Ireland and other major investments in transportation infrastructure and public works will help boost economy and could bring employment and other extraordinary benefit to many areas. Politics in Scotland, Ireland, and in the rest of the UK is in an extreme state of flux. The political failure to grasp this opportunity would indicate a lack of vision and authentic leadership.
The Scottish, Irish and UK Governments now need to work together on the feasibility study into a £20 billion road and rail tunnel connecting Scotland and Ireland. Research should be carried out to establish the economic and social benefits and assess any geological and engineering challenges. Without doubt however, the UK has the engineering and architectural talent and the capability to build this project. It would be a transformative economic generator and a world first.”
Professor Alan Dunlop. www.alandunloparchitects.com
