As ideas go, it has not been a resounding success. Architects, hauliers, the maritime industry, and an MP have so far expressed their scepticism about Boris Johnson’s ambition to build a 22-mile (35km) bridge across the Channel - and even the prime minister has signalled it won’t happen, reports The Guardian.
The foreign secretary proposed the idea on Thursday, telling the French president that it was “ridiculous” that two of the world’s biggest economies were joined only by a single railway line and later tweeting a picture of the two giving a thumbs-up.
But on Friday, Downing Street swiftly poured cold water on the idea. Pressed several times on whether the prime minister was open to a cross-Channel bridge, Theresa May’s spokesman said there were “no specific plans”.
“What was agreed yesterday, and I think that’s what the foreign secretary tweeted about as well, is a panel of experts who will look at major projects together including infrastructure,” he said.
That dismissal of the prospect will be seen as a snub for Johnson, who has championed a number of ambitious infrastructure projects that have failed to see the light of day.
No 10’s apparent bemusement at his latest suggestion was matched with reservations elsewhere, including from the UK Chamber of Shipping, which represents more than 180 maritime industry bodies.
“Building a huge concrete structure in the middle of the world’s busiest shipping lane might come with some challenges,” it tweeted, though the body might be expected to take a dim view of any potential maritime obstruction in the Channel.
The chamber’s chief executive, Guy Platten, said: “It’s good to have vision, particularly with respect to transport infrastructure projects, but the Dover Strait is the world’s busiest shipping lane. Many, many hundreds of vessel transits are made each day by commercial shipping, fishing and pleasure craft.
“Building a 22-mile-long bridge across the Channel would be a huge construction project, especially as the largest ships currently transiting the strait have a height above the water line in excess of 70 metres.
“Shipping moves 95% of the UK’s trade – it is vital that its movement remains as frictionless as possible, without disruption of any kind. The government and the EU should concentrate on keeping trade moving freely through our ports, which is in the economic interest of both sides of the Channel.”
The Road Haulage Association said the costs and practical implications of a bridge across the Channel would be “enormous”. Its chief executive, Richard Burnett, said: “We’re better off spending smaller amounts of money on improving our crumbling roads and opening more lorry parks.
“The Strait of Dover […] carries more than 500 ships daily, so construction would cause huge disruption to sea traffic. And what of the impact on the road network and people of Kent?
“The Channel tunnel and the ferry routes are working well within capacity, so it makes no sense to commit huge amounts of taxpayer’s money in an uncertain economic climate to a costly bridge project that we don’t need.”