We all know that Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and England are close together, but do you know exactly how close? Portpatrick, Scotland and Larne, Northern Ireland are only 12 miles apart at their nearest points across the Irish Sea!
Since 2018, the idea for a bridge between countries has been floating around. It would ease travel and might even be one to rival the Golden Gate Bridge in California. It would be a very difficult and tedious project but it would ultimately make history. The idea, however, was put on hold when Brexit took the forefront, but it’s making a comeback.
Personally, I think it would be really cool to watch the idea unfold and possibly even be completed, but there is a big factor to consider. The water between the two cities is an incredibly deep part of the sea measuring in at about 150 meters deep on average but its deepest is almost twice that. The trench is called Beaufort’s dyke, a 50 kilometer long trench left behind from the last glacial period. This would make building here tough and the construction team would need a lot of money and resources even before they can build the bridge itself.
Just when you think it can’t get any more difficult, it can and it will. Put your seatbelts on and get ready for this one: the trench is full of millions of tons of unexploded World War II munitions and radioactive waste from England. Well done Britain, you’ve done it again.
This could be a solvable problem, but would take a very careful touch. The managing director of bombs and explosives disposals compares it to raising the Titanic. If that’s not slightly worrying, I don’t know what is. His team would be able to disable and dispose of between 1 and 10 munitions a day but millions would need to be removed before any construction could happen, so this part could take years.
Image supplied by Alan Dunlop
The idea for a Celtic Crossing bridge, a symbol to connect Celtic nations, could cost upwards of 28 billion USD, but would be worth the money. There are so many obstacles that would get in the way of this project, but I think it would be an incredible thing to accomplish. A bridge would be a great connection between these few countries and it would definitely be one for the history books.
Date Published: 7/14/2021