September 6 2018

An ambitious vision to build a £15bn road bridge spanning the Irish Sea has been fleshed out by architect Alan Dunlop who has put pen to paper to visualise a cable-stayed solution.

Addressing an audience of architects, engineers at Robert Gordon University Dunlop went further, claiming that a Celtic Crossing between Scotland and Ireland would rebalance the UK economy.

Dunlop said: “We have the engineering and architectural talent and the capability to build this project; it would be a transformative economic generator and a world first.

“A bridge link will re-balance the over concentration of power in the south of England and could bring extraordinary benefit to many areas. It would be an investment in the true north.”

In recent months the project has secured important political backing in government with the government’s coalition partners the DUP said to be interested in the idea, although their political priorities lie elsewhere for now.

16 Comments

#1 Posted by dilettante on 6 Sep 2018 at 10:56 AM

I'm so glad he put pen to paper because I, for one, had no idea what a 'bridge' might look like. So they span bodies of water? Marvellous idea! We should have more of these.

#2 Posted by rankbadyin on 6 Sep 2018 at 12:06 PM

Every version of this idea seems to cross Beauforts Dyke and the array of weapons dumped in there. And never acknowledges the relative remoteness of Stranraer. Oresund and the Chunnel work because they correlate with two large population centres separated by a body of water as opposed to two sparsely populated areas seperated by a weapons dump.

#3 Posted by boaby wan on 6 Sep 2018 at 12:15 PM

I wonder if Alan Dunlop has ever considered taking the helm at the GIA seems their spirits are aligned...
It's a bit of shame that the bridge is the worst looking bit of that drawing, the waves are wonderful!

#4 Posted by Pea Soup on 6 Sep 2018 at 12:17 PM

It's a lovely idea on it's face, but there are so many reasons why this wouldn't work. To name a few, the depth of the Irish sea is around 300m, and thats just to the sea floor. Good luck sorting your foundations out there pal. Not to mention the wind loading. You're spanning a 35km body of water, the weather can get pretty rubbish in there. The amount of work required to stop the whole thing falling over would be immense surely? I can fly from Edinburgh to Belfast in 45 minutes. I'm in the airport longer than I'm in the air. We just don't need a bridge, who would use it?!

#5 Posted by Ow's about that then Pop-pickers? on 6 Sep 2018 at 13:50 PM

'Re-balance the UK economy' ... that's hopeful.
I wouldn't count on their being a UK, Alan - I think that premise is well down the Swanee.

#6 Posted by M is for Mungo on 6 Sep 2018 at 15:08 PM

Looks like the baby of the Tay Bridge and the Queensferry Crossing.
The massive ugly baby that they keep in the loft when nice bridges come over.

#7 Posted by David on 6 Sep 2018 at 16:13 PM

Nice idea in theory, but not at all practical, journey times on said crossing would be significantly longer than the flight time from Glasgow to Belfast, Derry, Dublin or Cork, even with a high speed train.

#8 Posted by Gandalf the Pink on 6 Sep 2018 at 16:14 PM

I'm excited to see how the true north will benefit. Inverness, Dingwall, Ullapool, Wick, Kirkwall and Lerwick will be excited by his plans.

#9 Posted by mick on 7 Sep 2018 at 13:27 PM

Where are the evidences of Needs and the demonstration of Benefits ? In this, the real, world Form Follows Facts, Form does not Follow Fantasies.

#10 Posted by 32 Counties on 7 Sep 2018 at 14:30 PM

Just to make a correction......

*"a Celtic Crossing between Scotland and Northern Ireland would rebalance the UK economy."

Ireland, thankfully, has not much to do with any UK economy (apart from the obvious).

#11 Posted by John Grant on 7 Sep 2018 at 17:45 PM

I wonder if any of those who actually know about long span bridges, ie, bridge designers, have cast an eye over this suggestion.

#12 Posted by Isambard kingdom youknowtherest on 7 Sep 2018 at 21:37 PM

#13 Haaar that be a long long span bridge it be. I'll build your great white hope..

#13 Posted by Gilly on 8 Sep 2018 at 13:18 PM

Beaufort's Dyke would make this financially impossible. Here's a thought though, get Stena and P and O to reduce their fees as they are ripping backside out of their prices.

#14 Posted by Nairn's Bairn on 10 Sep 2018 at 14:03 PM

I love AD's drawings, they take me back to drawing offices in the 80's - the sound of razor on tracing paper, the blowing of pounce powder, the cursing as the last 0.13 Rotring spears itself into the carpet tiles, and an ashtray on every drawing board. Good times.
The bridge idea is gash obviously.

#15 Posted by JS on 11 Sep 2018 at 12:32 PM

The waves in that drawing are brilliant- wonderful to see.

#16 Posted by David Brown on 17 Sep 2018 at 13:46 PM

Too many negatives being thrown up here. A bridge the north coast of NI to the Mull of Kintyre and then a series of shorter bridges across the Kyles to bring the route into Glasgow and the motorway network would make more sense. It would also open up the West Coast of Scotland for a tourism boom, open up opportunities for an easily accessed deep water port on the Atlantic etc. etc. Never going to thrill everyone with massive schemes like this but don't knock visionary people - they build our tomorrows.

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