Scotland and Northern Ireland could be connected by bridge or tunnel link

The UK government is looking at the possibility of building a bridge or tunnel between Scotland and Northern Ireland as part of its review of connectivity within the UK, it has been announced.

Experts have been asked to look into the feasibility, cost and timescale of a tunnel or bridge that could link South West Scotland with Northern Ireland. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he wants to "build back better" after the coronavirus pandemic in a way that brings "every corner of the UK closer together."

Commenting on the proposals, David Thomson, head of external affairs at Association for Project Management, said: “Major project initiatives such as these represent exciting opportunities and we welcome the Government’s focus on infrastructure investment in its bid to ‘build back better’.

“However, good project outcomes require the right conditions for success. Any announcement of a new initiative of this scale must be matched by the capability and commitment to deliver them well, through investment in project delivery capacity. A project like this requires a robust feasibility study and a realistic assessment of future public benefits in terms of connectivity and other benefits.”

Speaking to the BBC, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “One of the elements in the review is should we have some sort of fixed connection – that could be a tunnel, it could be a bridge – between, for example, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which is the closest crossing.

“Actually it is odd in a sense that we don’t have a connection with another part of the United Kingdom, so it is looking at whether that is feasible or not.”

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