to think that if we want to build a big bridge, we should really do it from Dover to Calais

[chomalungma]

Rather than Scotland to Ireland.

Personally I don't think we should be building any bridge. But if Boris wants his bridge, then surely it would make sense to have a bridge from Dover to Calais.

Ok - so there's the waves.
And it's a very very very very busy channel with lots of ships.

But that's where the biggest markets are....that's where the transport links are.

I know we have ferries and a tunnel. But just imagine what a bridge would do...

I’m really surprised that more people haven’t said ‘euro tunnel durp!’

Do people just not realise that we have one? Agreed on not seeing the point in a Scotland northern island bridge. They should fix the or existing shit road network first.

A Scottish road bridge would mean motorways through some rather lovely countryside.

Or the fact that the Republic is further north than any part of Northern Ireland

One part of the Republic is further north, the majority certainly isn't.

I actually can’t believe how much is wrong in this paragraph

@constantlyseekinghappiness that poster was referring to the OP and not the proposed Scotland-NI bridge when they said “bridge to the EU”.

Northern Ireland is an actual country and part of the UK.

But didn’t vote to leave the EU

Scotland is also an actual country and part of the UK.

But didn’t vote to leave the EU

England didn’t vote to leave the EU, the UK did.

England (and wales) did. The other two didn’t.

Funny how NI Is part of the U.K. but not important enough to the U.K. to create a decent travel link to connect it to the rest of the U.K.

Fairly sure it’s already mentioned upthread that Northern Ireland is in fact part of the Uk and therefore no longer part of the EU - that’s the country Johnson is proposing the bridge go to not the Republic of Ireland which is a completely different country.

My post was referring to OPs bridge. NI Isnt a useful enough link for OP.

It's just over 3 miles between Sicily and Italy and a bridge has been mooted for nearly a century. Invariably when a distraction is needed from political goings on elsewhere.

It will never be built for the simple reason that the two bits of land that it would link could never in a million years afford it. At any price. And (as in the UK) there's a lot of bad feeling when money is seen to go from the rich to the poor with no tangible benefit.

Just out of interest, what is the actual value of goods that cross the sea every year ? Because unless you are mining gold in Northern Ireland and moving an HGVs worth a day, any money spent on a bridge will never be recouped.

I also notice the lack of any discussion about tolls. Suggesting people will be shocked/surprised/outraged when it cost £20 to leave Northern Ireland on the bridge.

Suggesting people will be shocked/surprised/outraged when it cost £20 to leave Northern Ireland on the bridge.

Our only options currently cost much in excess of £20

Suggesting people will be shocked/surprised/outraged when it cost £20 to leave Northern Ireland on the bridge.

Our only options currently cost much in excess of £20

£20 was a figure I pulled out of thin air ... the point being that at this point, no one appears to be thinking of the details of how a bridge would work. It's inconceivable that it would be free, so there would need to be a toll. Since it would also be inconceivable that the toll could even begin to reflect that actual cost of the bridge (much like fares on HS2) then any bridge is really a gift to the peoples of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

This is all a pleasant way to spend a morning, but no bridge will be built. A lot of money will be spent on the idea of a bridge. But no bridge will be built. Frankly I'd file the idea along with Moonbase:UK and a plan I heard of a while ago to make the UK the coconut capital of the world by importing sunshine on disused oil tankers once the North Sea runs out.

A Dover Calais bridge. Great idea let's improve transport links in the south

Engineers say a Scotland Ireland bridge is doable and I say - we should do this. One thing is for sure it's a better idea than a high speed train that shaves off about 2 minutes journey time
between London and Birmingham and we all know the bit of track north of Birmingham is never going to happen

Engineers say a Scotland Ireland bridge is doable

and yet this very thread has an engineer categorically saying it is not, with summary reasoning ...

Which engineers, by the way ?

It's not about transport links in the South. I live in the North. But economically, it's more economic sense to do a link across the English Channel than between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

I think both are impractical but if he wants a Bridge, then it should make economic sense

No thanks. Yabu.

I think both are impractical but if he wants a Bridge, then it should make economic sense

I think with HS2 underway that ship sailed a long time ago. Mind you, what better use of public money than seeing another Tory government elected ?

It's easier to get to Paris from my house in the South East than it is to get to Peterborough.

Who said we need a bridge from Kent to Essex? You do realise there's already one plus a bloody tunnel and another tunnel planned?

It's my view the only reason the Dartford Crossing is such a daily fucking ball ache is to "necessitate" Tunnel 2.

If there's a sound financial reason to connect parts of the UK by bridge, and it's structurally possible why not? But please, we don't need money spent on this in the SE it's not fair.

I'm not sure that either bridge is necessary, but that's the point in building a bridge where we already have a tunnel?

Can you imagine driving along a bridge from Scotland to Ireland in these weather conditions? It's such a mad idea, logistically and financially. Why is Boris not being more ridiculed about this?

Mind you I'm sure the news this morning was that the Chinese have offered to build us our HS2 fora much reduced cost so who knows?

Do migrants camp at Denmark desperate to enter Sweden?

Given that we've recently told the rest of Europe to fuck off and cut ourselves off from them, I'm not sure they'd want a bridge to us. Perhaps a raised drawbridge would be a cheaper and more appropriate structure?

The Scotland Ireland tunnel would be good for escaping from the madness of the UK government though

Perhaps wait until Scotland becomes independent and then see if they still want a bridge.