The government is set to once again look at the feasibility of building a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland, as as part of a national review of transport connections across the UK.
Downing Street said on Saturday the review, led by Network Rail chair Sir Peter Hendy, will explore the “cost, practicality and demand” for a fixed link, which some critics have already dismissed as impractical and a waste of money which would be better spent elsewhere.
Boris Johnson has enthusiastically mooted the bridge idea several times and the government confirmed earlier this year that it was being discussed by officials.
The PM has been ridiculed in the past for his support of the idea – and it’s not the first grand transport plan to face criticism.
While Johnson was London mayor, £50m of taxpayers’ money was wasted on the proposed London Garden Bridge which he supported.
The Emirates Air Line cable car also cost taxpayers millions despite Johnson insisting the money could come from private companies, and has since been dubbed a “white elephant” due to under-use.
Johnson has also been mocked for a failed proposal for a new airport in the Thames Estuary, dubbed ‘Boris island’.
The upcoming transport study will set out advice on a “wide range of possible options” to improve the quality and availability of links across the UK, Downing Street said.
The review comes after Johnson, in a speech in July on how to kick-start the economy following the coronavirus pandemic, pledged £100m on 29 road projects.
Downing St said the Hendy review will also look at the feasibility of various other options designed to boost links to Scotland and Wales, including improving major roads like the A1.
Making the review announcement on Saturday, Johnson said: “The United Kingdom is the greatest political partnership the world has ever seen and we need transport links between our nations that are as strong as our historic bonds.”
Hendy, who ran London’s transport network during the Olympics in 2012, said: “Improving links across the UK on the basis of the wider economic benefits that increased investment will deliver will be of benefit to everyone in the UK, and I’m thus very pleased to lead this work.”
He is expected to publish his recommendations in the summer of 2021.
Politicians from Scotland and Northern Ireland told transport secretary Grant Shapps in March that the billions of pounds a fixed link across the Irish Sea would cost could be better spent on vital infrastructure projects