Posted on 11/21/2021 2:23:47 PM PST by WeaslesRippedMyFlesh
Plans to build a bridge or tunnel between Scotland and Northern Ireland have been ruled out due to forecasted costs and engineering challenges.
A study examining if such a project was possible is expected to advise against proceeding with any proposals when it is released next week.
The BBC understands the government will agree with the report's recommendation.
The Telegraph first reported that transport expert Sir Peter Hendy, who was asked by the government to examine connections between the different parts of the UK, had concluded the project was not currently viable.
A government source said Sir Peter had examined the costs of a fixed link to Northern Ireland and found "it would be technically very challenging at the moment".
"That's not to say it won't become viable at some point in the future, but at the moment it would be very, very difficult and expensive," the source told the paper.
[snip]
Plans for some kind of link between Northern Ireland and Scotland stretch back as far as the 1890s.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
The bridge to never.
Enter stage left, Elon Musk’s Boring Company.
Lots of detail about the sites:
The Scots made it over somehow or another ...centuries ago. At the closest point it’s only about 13 miles.
Would be perfect for a Fife and Drum marching to “Lily O”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6RqZKUy9eo
Boulder Dam Plans Scrapped
Under Sea Cable Between North America and Europe Plans Scrapped
Plans for Jet Powered Airliner Scrapped
Plans to Connect England to France Under English Channel Scrapped
Each of us on FR have been fortunate to have lived through the Peak of Civilization on this Planet.
The idea doesn’t seem to make much sense. The part of Scotland closest to Northern Ireland is remote from any big cities. What if the Scots decide to secede from the UK in a future referendum? There is no bridge between Sicily and mainland Italy, or between Spain and Morocco, both of which are narrower straits than that between Ireland and Great Britain.
It’s too hard.
They need to hire California’s high speed rail geniuses.
This reminds me of the Monty Python skit about a mountaineering expedition to Mt Kilimanjaro:
“Our goal is to climb both peaks of Kilimanjaro.”
“There’s only one peak.”
“Well that ought to save a bit of time.”
The Irish used to travel annually to Scotland as migrants to work the potato fields near Glasgow for over 150 years. Maybe the UK got pushback from the maritime industry. After the Chunnel, this should be easy peasy.
So I’m thinking potato (or potatoe if your Dan Quale) shaped gondola ferry cars that run under a suspended rail at a slow pick up speed follow by a transfer mid rail speed of 30 mph for a 30 min trip.
The potato gondolas include a bar and cafe.
Also at the time, in Ireland, they were building some kind of tunnel for trucks to drive through to lessen the amount of traffic on the highway. According to our guide, who was Irish, they hadn't made the tunnel tall enough for most lorries to fit through it. I don't know how they worked the problem out. I'm sure Pete Buttplug would have said the tunnel was racist.
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This should be piece of cake!
Ask AOC, she will tell you how to make tunnel across the Ocean or to Hawaii!
My thought exactly.
My ancestry suggests there was a whole lot of canoeing going on in the Isles and Western Europe.
It is only 13 miles from Mull of Kintyre to Torr. However the Kintyre peninsula is quite remote, it would take a long road to get there.
It would be probably better to build tunnel more south, between Portpatrick and Bangor. That’s only 22 miles and both ends are a lot better located as to connections to rest of Ireland/Scotland.
Well, it is scrapped anyway!
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