Boris Johnson’s ‘bonkers’ plan for a 35km bridge from Scotland to Northern Ireland

Engineering experts have poured cold water over UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to build a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland for £15 billion (US$18.5 billion).

Johnson – who first touted the idea of the 35km bridge last year – put a price on his proposal for the first time last week, saying it would “only” cost the multibillion pound sum.

But experts have said that, while it might technically be possible to construct the bridge connecting Scotland’s mainland with the outskirts of Belfast, it is potentially fraught with problems and the costs could spiral.

One eminent engineer, who was behind London’s Millennium bridge, said it was “bonkers” to put a price on the plan before a proper design was in place. Another engineering academic labelled the proposal “dubious economics”.

It comes after leaked documents emerged on Tuesday that revealed that Johnson had ordered government officials to explore the possibility of building the bridge.

On Thursday, during a visit, the prime minister told schoolchildren : “[I was talking yesterday] about building a bridge from Stranraer in Scotland to Larne in Northern Ireland – that would be very good. It would only cost about £15 billion”.