A 27-mile bridge has been proposed between Ireland and Britain – but there’s a few things getting in the way.
The Irish Sea Bridge, sometimes called the Celtic Crossing, is a hypothetical bridge that would span the Irish Sea and connect Ireland to Great Britain.
The bridge’s length would depend upon the route taken. One route, known as the Galloway route, would cross between Portpatrick in south Scotland, and Larne in Northern Ireland which is a distance of 27 miles.
The second of the two potential routes is the 12-mile Kintyre route, which spans from the Highland peninsula of Kintyre to the North Eastern point of County Antrim.
The concept of an Irish Sea Bridge had been proposed since the Victorian Era. And by February 2020, British government officials began scoping the possible route and type of crossing.
A full feasibility study was published in November 2021. It estimated that a bridge would cost £335 billion, and a tunnel £209 billion.
The study said that, although the technology exists to build either, any bridge would be “the longest span bridge built to date” and the tunnel would be “the longest undersea tunnel ever built”.
Sir Peter Hendy concluded that a connection was not viable at the current time but could become an option in the future.
The Øresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark has been considered as a possible model for the Irish Sea Bridge. But it was built in waters not over 10 metres deep and is only five miles long.
Particular risks to such a project – and reasons it might not be able to go ahead as well as the costs – include the depth of North Channel and the presence of a large underwater munitions dump in Beaufort’s Dyke. But it was suggested that these problems would be mitigated in part by the construction of a tunnelled section.
The National 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.
Commentators have also suggested that such a bridge would have the potential to create a “tourism corridor” between Northern Ireland and Scotland, being a more environmentally friendly option than flying.