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No not the film
BoJo is apparently keen on the idea of a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
It begs the question what the **** for?
Portpatrick to Larne is the suggested route:
The bridge, made of steel and concrete, would consist of two levels - one for cars and one for a railway.
Part of it could be a tunnel too, as a way of dealing with the offshore dumpsite Beaufort’s Dyke.
Unexploded World War Two bombs are believed to be one of the risks of the project, which lie near the dump.
An artificial island around 2.5 miles long and 500 yards wide is likely to link the bridge to the tunnel.
Under one version of Boris’ plan, the bridge would run from the Scottish coast over the trench, before becoming a tunnel for the final stretch to Northern Ireland.
Local geography might even dictate the need for two artificial islands to span the North Channel.
I get that BoJo is keen to be seen to be spending money on Scotland as a way of fending off cries for independence (best of luck with that), but given his previous track record on bridges and the general stupidity of the idea, I'm struggling to understand how the money (even on an initial assessment) couldn't be spent better elsewhere.
I hope it's a garden bridge,the last one in London enriched the lives of so many people.
As previously suggested on the main Boris thread
We should have three bridges
Ardrossan to Brodick
Arran to Campbelltown
Mull of Kintyre Lighthouse to Norn Iron.
Probably cheaper. Enough change left to build a wall up the middle of the English Channel. Probably.
Pie in the skye.
Massive bullshitter talks massive bullshit.
Not going to happen.
Can’t see it ever being built for numerous reasons.
The sea, oh the sea, oh a gradh geal mo chroide
Long may it stay between England and me
It's a sure guarantee that some hour we'll be free
Thank God we're surrounded by water…
We should have three bridges
Well its not any dafter than having one. It avoids Beauforts Dyke and means the journey from Glasgow to Belfast would be a bit shorter.
But you still have to wonder what the point is (beyond bread and circuses). Bridges or tunnels are generally a good idea when you have a load of people on either side of a sea/ river/ mountain who need to get to the other side. I might be wrong but I don't see a huge pent up demand for moving people between Northern Ireland and Scotland.
That's before you consider potential border issues brought about be the Brexit settlement in NI.
Massive bullshitter talks massive bullshit.
Not going to happen.
This. General engineering opinion seems to be that this can't be done, even before such small issues as Irish railways using a different track gauge are taken into account.
Staffing taxpayer money up the wall for a political gimmick , it's a Johnson signature move
Well its not any dafter than having one
It is.
Because nuclear submarines.
He's got form for dodgy bridge schemes hasn't he?
It sounds more like a good idea as a way of joining 2 separate parts of future EU regions.
Irish railways using a different track gauge
That would be a rather amusing cockup to discover at the completion of the project.
Can the bridge have a nice garden on it? I believe he's an expert at those
It is.
Because nuclear submarines.
Nah just make the Crinan Canal wider and deeper while were are building all these bridges.
Where's you ambition Perchy? We'll never "level up" Britain and enjoy sunlit post Brexit uplands with attitudes like that.
Nah just make the Crinan Canal wider and deeper while were are building all these bridges.
Where’s you ambition Perchy? We’ll never “level
It'd need to be the Forth and Clyde Canal.
I'd pay good money to see an Astute class sub on the Falkirk Wheel.
I’d pay good money to see an Astute class sub on the Falkirk Wheel.
With the added bonus that a nuclear accident in the area is likely to go unnoticed
With the added bonus that a nuclear accident in the area is likely to go unnoticed
That sort of improvement would be a big boost to Boris's ratings.
The only demand from Belfast to Glasgow and vice versa is old firm fans, and I wouldnt wish them on the many good friends I have on Arran.
I'd much prefer a bridge from southerness across to Silloth, now yer talking.
Joris Bohnsons ideas for airports and bridges and stuff have a certain familiar ring to them....
An old article about dumping in and around Beaufort's Dyke.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14820042-200-danger-from-the-deep/
The only demand from Belfast to Glasgow and vice versa is old firm fans, and I wouldnt wish them on the many good friends I have on Arran
I wouldn't wish them on people I don't even like on Arran!
Massive bullshitter talks massive bullshit.
Not going to happen.
Now hang on a minute there, I am sure with a big helping of that Brexit ‘can do’ attitude and some of our top level consultants* working on this project ,this is going to be a winner.
*Namely Kelvin and Damien from the garden bridge brief .
It's not the bridge that's the real problem here.
It's all the forms that you'll need to fill out before you cross it.
Well "leading architects" say it's feasible.
Can't we just build an enormous canon and fire Boris in to the sun?
Scottish independence and Irish reunification might affect London's jurisdiction over the bridge
It’s his equivalent of trumps wall. Please don’t give it air time. Instead ask what cock up he’s distracting from today.
That. Just another dead cat.
Can’t we just build an enormous canon and fire Boris in to the sun?
Protestant or Catholic canon?
Better than HS2?
Another pile of total crap, like everything he says. He'll be trying to distract from something. Election interference, HS2 half cancellation, a retraction of some promise or other.
Hmmm maybe Boris was thinking of Beauforts Dyke when he said he'd die in a ditch
This. General engineering opinion seems to be that this can’t be done
people in this country have had enough of experts
Protestant or Catholic canon?
Water cannon. Another one of Boris's triumphs...
Can't we have one to Europe instead?
From Twitter:
Corbyn: I think we should make broadband free.
Media: Madman, utter insanity, it could never work.
Johnson: I want to build a 30-mile bridge across a 1000-foot-deep stretch of water that has a load of explosives dumped somewhere at the bottom.
Media: Jolly good old chap! When?
Its free trade I think. He has just realised he needs to be more connected with Europe for the future fantastic trade deal and when Ireland unites a bridge or a tunnel to Europe is what he wants...
...whats that you say.. a tunnel.. to Europe, already... bugger
Hello, civil engineer here, born in Northern Ireland but happily escaped (by ferry).
Bridge is probably unfeasible because of water depth - imagine how you'd engineer each pier.
This bridge is a political dead cat. Brexit has disgruntled the Unionists given their treatment by the scumbag Torys. A referendum on a United Ireland creeps closer due to Brexit, population demographics, the precedents set in Scotland, and even the recent success of Sinn Fein.
The proposed bridge is a tool for placating unionists on the island of Ireland. Side benefit is that it gives the Tories something upbeat to talk about while they fail the UK.
Hello, civil engineer here, born in Northern Ireland but happily escaped (by ferry).
Bridge is probably unfeasible because of water depth - imagine how you'd engineer each pier.
This bridge is a political dead cat. Brexit has disgruntled the Unionists given their treatment by the scumbag Torys. A referendum on a United Ireland creeps closer due to Brexit, population demographics, the precedents set in Scotland, and even the recent success of Sinn Fein.
The proposed bridge is a tool for placating unionists on the island of Ireland. Side benefit is that it gives the Tories something upbeat to talk about while they fail the UK.
Bridge is probably unfeasible because of water depth – imagine how you’d engineer each pier.
Looking at oil production facilities it might be possible to implement each pier in the same way - look at the Draugen oil platform for example. You'd need to protect against accidental damage from shipping but again the oil industry have already solved this problem - the Hibernia platform can withstand contact with a six million ton lump of ice. The thing is, they cost. Lots. And even with say 1km span between piers you'd need thirty or so to make up the bridge. I'm assuming that the sea floor (apart from the Beaufort's Dyke bit) is suitable to take several 200,000 tonne structures.
Other than that it's either a distraction tactic from Cummings and Johnson or just one of the regular infrastructure reviews that occupy the time of various government departments.
A few moments thought suggest there is no way this is financially workable. After all the channel tunnel was a boderline case when it connects a market of 60M and 300M. So why anyone thinks a bridge/tunnel which is technically more difficult due to water depth but only connects markets of 5M and 3M is worth the cost beggars belief.
Cost £20Bn? Make that £30Bn at least after cost overruns and inflation. In 2014 the Scotland - NI ferries carried 400'000 vehicles.
Say the bridge increases that by 150% to 1 million. If you borrow £30Bn at 5% to build it that is £1500 per vehicle using it. Economics of the madhouse.
I'm not sure much of the England to Dublin traffic would divert. It's 6 hours+ driving to get from Manchester to Port Patrick then NI to Dublin.
It won’t stop a few of Boris’ chums getting a few million out of our budgets talking about though....
It would make far more sense to build a canal suitable for naval vessels along the Scotland/England border.
And of course, a wall.
🙂
The official price tag for HS2 was set out in the 2015 budget and came in at just under £56bn.
However, the government estimate for the project has since almost doubled with the latest figure rising to £106bn - according to an official review leaked to the Financial Times in January 2020.
If you borrow £30Bn at 5%
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