Boris Johnson suggests 22-mile long bridge across English Channel
UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson has discussed the possibility of building a bridge between the UK and France with French president Emmanuel Macron in order to facilitate transport after Brexit.
Johnson and Macron discussed the subject at the Anglo-French summit.
The British foreign secretary argued it was “ridiculous” that two of the biggest economies were linked by a single railway line “when they are only 20 miles apart."
It is believed that Macron responded positively and said that a second link should be built across the channel.
At the summit, Macron offered to loan Britain the Bayeux tapestry and said that the two countries were “making a new tapestry together” with different agreements regarding culture, security and trade.
Johnson tweeted a picture of himself and Macron and a second tweet that read “I’m especially pleased we are establishing a panel of experts to look at major projects together. Our economic success depends on good infrastructure and good connections. Should the Channel Tunnel be just a first step?”
En marche ! Great meetings with French counterparts today pic.twitter.com/D73B1rSkd3
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 18, 2018
The foreign secretary had previously proposed the idea of another tunnel across the channel but now says a bridge could be possible, pointing out similar projects carried out in Japan.
The UK Chamber of Shipping said, "Building a huge concrete structure in the middle of the world's busiest shipping lane might come with some challenges."
"The Government and the EU should concentrate on keeping trade moving freely through our ports, something which is in the economic interest of both sides, instead of searching for headline-grabbing ideas that sound better on paper than they would be in practice."
But bridge designer and former president of the Institution of Structural Engineers Ian Firth told BBC 4 Radio that the project is a "huge undertaking, but absolutely possible".
Technical editor of New Civil Engineer magazine Dave Parker also said that the concerns about the bridge interfering with shipping routes could be dealt with.
It wasn’t the first time Johnson had championed ambitious infrastructure projects, although in the past they had not always seen the results he'd expected.
As mayor of London, he opened the £60m Emirates Air Line cable car that didn’t attract the commuters attention as much as he hoped for.