Irish Sea Bridge

The Irish Sea Bridge, sometimes called the Celtic Crossing by the media,[1] is a rail and road bridge currently under proposal by the UK government that would span the Irish Sea and connect the island of Ireland to the island of Great Britain.[2] It is one of a series of proposed fixed sea links across the British Isles. The bridge's length would depend upon the route taken; the current consensus is that the route would be between Portpatrick, in Dumfries and Galloway, and Larne in Northern Ireland, placing the proposed length at 45 kilometres (28 mi).

The Irish Sea Bridge is one of a number of proposed Irish Sea fixed crossings (marked here as the green Galloway Route)

As of February 2020, UK Government officials have begun scoping the possible route and type of crossing. Particular risks to such a project would include the depth of Irish Sea and the presence of a large underwater munitions dump at Beaufort's Dyke. It has been suggested that these problems would be mitigated in part by the construction of a tunnelled section.[3]

Background

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.[4] He proposed a combined road and rail crossing between Portpatrick, in Dumfries and Galloway, and Larne in Northern Ireland, stating that "the coastline between each country is more sheltered and the waterway better protected" than the English Channel, where, as Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson had proposed a 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).[5][6]

The Øresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark has been considered as a possible model for the Irish Sea Bridge[7]

Proposals to overcome the problems presented by the Beaufort's Dyke Trench, if it could not be cleared, include floating the bridge on 500 m (1,600 ft) deep connecting sea orbs connected to the seabed with tension cables, similar to those used on bridges in Norway.[8] Professor Dunlop also suggested that the construction processes used for the Øresund Bridge be looked at as a model for the proposed bridge.[4] The Øresund bridge had, by 2018, provided a £10bn return on its initial investment. However, it has 3 million people living within 25 miles (40 km) either end of the bridge, and the North Channel does not have a local population of this size.[9]

The National, a Scottish nationalist 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 would have to be upgraded and electrified, and the rail link from Stranraer to Dumfries reinstated".[10] 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.[11][12]

It has also been suggested that such a bridge would be able to link up with the High Speed Rail project between Glasgow and Edinburgh, set to open in 2024, as well as the UK‘s wider High Speed Rail 2 project, and a possible Belfast to Dublin high speed rail line mooted in 2017.[13][14] A 2007 paper by the Centre for Cross Border Studies had previously suggested that with track upgrades trains would be able to reach in excess of 200 mph (320 km/h).[15]

Further support has come from the fact that this part of Scotland has a large number of established ports and harbours, 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. 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.[16] Professor Dunlop has also noted the similarities between such a bridge and the Norwegian Coastal Highway, which forms a 680-mile (1,090 km) 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.[9] Senior economist Esmond Birnie at the University of Ulster 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.[17] 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.[18]

Political support

The project was first endorsed in late February 2018 by Scottish Brexit Minister Michael Russell MSP, who when addressing the Republic of 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".[19] In February 2018, The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney, publicly called for a feasibility study into the bridge during an address at Chatham House 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.[20]

By March 2018 the idea appeared to have the full support of the Scottish government, with a spokesman telling the BBC that it intended to "initiate discussions" on the bridge with both parties in Belfast, and the government of Ireland.[21] and that Transport Scotland officials would be conducting talks with their counterparts in Northern Ireland.[22] 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.[23]

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.[24] On 25 April 2018 Ards and North Down Borough Council voted to write to the Scottish government, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, 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 would be unprepared for the impact of such a bridge.[25] The Belfast Telegraph suggested that this was reminiscent of ancient rivalries between the local ports.[26] 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.[27] 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”.[28] In July, Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP, conceded that there appeared to be a growing support for the bridge.[29]

In August 2018 Jane Morrice, 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 [which] 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".[30]

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,[31] "fast-track rail links, both within Scotland and linking to other countries, and an updated road system, are priorities".[32] At the Urbanism at Borders Conference in Aberdeen, Professor Dunlop pitched the idea of the bridge at a keynote speech to an audience of international academics, architects, and engineers at Robert Gordon University.[33]

By October 2018 the first images of the proposed bridge had been released.[9] 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, 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.[34] Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley responding to questions in parliament indicated the government was aware of the issues regarding the seabed in this area, and also suggested that the bridge was being discussed by the cabinet.[35]

By 2019 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."[36] 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 and the Scotland-Ireland bridge as a means of transporting EU goods to Ireland via the Netherlands.[37] As part of his campaign for the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election 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".[38]

In September 2019 the UK government had requested civil servants in the Treasury and Department for Transport undertake a cost and risk analysis of the proposed bridge, with special attention to be paid to possible funding options.[39] The Department for Transport had reportedly already produced a factual paper on the subject for a former transport secretary. When asked to comment on the project the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said the UK had "amazing ambitions for the future".[40] The Independent'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 and Hokkaido, 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.[18]

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."[11] In late September 2019 a group of engineers wrote to National Geographic magazine agreeing that it was "technically possible and far from unrealistic to build" the bridge.[41] By early October 2019 it was reported that the Scottish government had plans to re-purpose the 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.[42] In October 2019, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar 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". [43] 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". [44]

In March 2020 Alister Jack told the Scottish Parliament that he supported the bridge.[45]

Development

In 2019 UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson instructed the treasury and department of transport to begin formal funding plans.[46]

By February 2020 British government officials had been tasked with scoping out the cost of building the bridge, though Number 10 would not confirm how many civil servants were working on the project. [47]

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. 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.”[48]

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.[49]

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See also

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