For all Boris Johnson’s flaws, the prime minister is right to dream big about a bridge or tunnel from Scotland to Northern Ireland

Much of what Nichola Mallon, the minister who oversees transport, says about the mooted bridge or tunnel to Scotland is correct.

It would be vastly expensive.

There are simpler, more pressing transport priorities.

It is even as she says something of a distraction.

Ms Mallon is one of a number of Northern Ireland politicians who have been dismissive of, even scathing about, Boris Johnson’s enthusiasm for a fixed link across the North Channel. Yet while Ms Mallon’s concerns are valid, it is rather disappointing that a minister’s whose Stormont brief is NI infrastructure cannot summon up more generosity for the spirit of the idea.

Boris Johnson, as almost everyone can see, is something of a showman. Unionists above all know him to be unreliable.

But his optimism and tendency to think big and his keenness for improving travel and structures are among his more admirable qualities.

The prime minister was right about wanting to close cramped, congested Heathrow, turn it into good housing for west London, and instead build one of the best airports in the world in the Thames Valley.

He was right about HS2 in England, with which he is pressing ahead, and its ambition to bring to the UK the sort of high speed rail that already exists in much of Europe.

And the London garden bridge that he championed was a fine idea, regrettably sunk by costs.

In Northern Ireland we should be pleased that a UK premier would like to see a physical link to the mainland. At least he is taking an interest in our connectivity.

Various engineers say that a bride or tunnel from Ulster to Scotland is feasible. The problem comes down to cost-benefit. Traffic levels across that stretch of water are low.

Thus a future tunnel or bridge is not a fantasy, as some sneer, but rather a very distant — but very agreeable — prospect.

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry

Acting Editor