A Bridge Too Far ?

[awol]

Options for bridges or tunnels to link the Utter Hebrides from Barra to Harris and for the Mainland to Mull are being considered by government ministers. That would free up a few Calmac ferries!

 

[HissyFit]

Options for bridges or tunnels to link the Utter Hebrides from Barra to Harris and for the Mainland to Mull are being considered by government ministers. That would free up a few Calmac ferries!

I wouldn't want to be caught on such a bridge in the weather that would stop the ferries from operating. Tunnels for me.

 

[westhinder]

I wouldn't want to be caught on such a bridge in the weather that would stop the ferries from operating. Tunnels for me.

That’s what the Norwegians seem to think too

 

[whaup]

...and the Faroese

 

[ps1]

While on holiday in the Faroes we drove through one of the older tunnels which was single lane with passing places. We met a refuse lorry coming the other way and had to reverse and squeeze into a passing place on the 'wrong' side. So in dropped conversations we can boast about meeting a bin lorry under the Atlantic

 

[jamie N]

A Stornoway cousin of mine explained Barra to me; "800 drunks, clinging to a rock!"

 

[ProDave]

A Stornoway cousin of mine explained Barra to me; "800 drunks, clinging to a rock!"

And their rock is not even big enough for a proper runway.

 

[wully1]

Options for bridges or tunnels to link the Utter Hebrides from Barra to Harris and for the Mainland to Mull are being considered by government ministers. That would free up a few Calmac ferries!

Pie in the sky political pish... just spend some money on decent ferries and roads. Job done.

The folk ‘planning’ this should take a wee trip up the west coast of Norway to see how its done. It would have been easily doable if the oil wealth hadn’t been spaffed up the wall..
While they are about it they could go to Denmark and see how an integrated transport system works with bike lanes everywhere and big, wide trains with bike carriages, then go to France and ask SNCF to run the trains.

 

[Bodach na mara]

The Mull proposal seems ludicrous. Apart from the fact that the traffic flow doesn't justify the expense and the island roads are chronic, the crossing from the mainland near Oban would involve crossing the Firth of Lorne which is a long and tricky bit of seabed. A crossing from the Morven coast would be cheaper and more feasible, but it take a long time to drive to it, longer than the ferry crossing in fact.

 

[alan_d]

The Mull proposal seems ludicrous. Apart from the fact that the traffic flow doesn't justify the expense and the island roads are chronic, the crossing from the mainland near Oban would involve crossing the Firth of Lorne which is a long and tricky bit of seabed. A crossing from the Morven coast would be cheaper and more feasible, but it take a long time to drive to it, longer than the ferry crossing in fact.

And the Morvern route would either need to use the Corran Ferry (or a fixed-link replacement for it) or a long diversion via Kinlocheil or Lochailort.

 

[Mister E]

I read yesterday that the Scotland Ireland tunnel study cost 900,000.
How much will this study cost?

 

[penfold]

Longterm costs for a fixed link at Corran and Fishnish plus upgrading the roads inbetween compares with those of new ferries. Deciding which is more robust is not difficult. The govt are incapable of providing either so it is moot.

 

[awol]

I'm sure there are those on Mull who would welcome a fixed link to the mainland and the "wealth" it would bring. Others are horrified by the concept and point to Skye's traffic problems with camper vans and visitor cars. How big a car park would Fionnphort need - or would a wee bridge to Iona be better?

 

[savageseadog]

I read yesterday that the Scotland Ireland tunnel study cost 900,000.

And they could have had expert advice on here for free.

 

[Stemar]

I think it's a great idea, but it needs to be taken further, with another bridge over the Pentland Firth and on to the Shetlands. Why should those wussy westerners have all the fun?

Better plant a few more money trees to pay for the study to find out how many money trees they'll need to do the study on how many money trees they'll need to build the bridges...

I suppose that when you've go no idea what to do, studies and plans are a substitute for action

 

[penfold]

And they could have had expert advice on here for free.

About the same quality; these doorstop reports are mostly drafted by green graduates that can't be trusted with anything important. At least our uninformed commentary is delivered for free and only in tree-saving softcopy.