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Apparently, PM Boris Johnson is set to back development funding for the A75 "Motorway", whatever that means;
The government will meanwhile make £20m available as development funding for new projects including upgrades to the North Wales Coast rail line and the A75 motorway in Scotland and a train link between the West Coast Mainline and the proposed High Speed 2 route.
This is clearly the preface for the Scotland/UK - Ireland "Bridge". Interestingly, I wonder if Transport Scotland were ever consulted. Think most of us know the answer to that one!
MattJackson wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 19:56
Apparently, PM Boris Johnson is set to back development funding for the A75 "Motorway", whatever that means;
The government will meanwhile make £20m available as development funding for new projects including upgrades to the North Wales Coast rail line and the A75 motorway in Scotland and a train link between the West Coast Mainline and the proposed High Speed 2 route.
This is clearly the preface for the Scotland/UK - Ireland "Bridge". Interestingly, I wonder if Transport Scotland were ever consulted. Think most of us know the answer to that one!
I've envisaged an M75 (or A75(M), which would be unlikely in Scotland) in the past as a motorway link between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but in practice I can't really see it happening even if a bridge was built, which at the moment seems very unlikely. In addition, I've also attempted to build some fictional grade separated D2 sections of the A75 (though still all-purpose road) on Merkaartor in the past.
Would the long sliproads at Gretna count as being part of a potential A75(M) or not, since the road carries on past the initial (old A74) overbridge as D2 for about 200m when heading westbound before the end of motorway restrictions sign? In total, the westbound motorway restricted A75 sliproad is around 700m long while the eastbound motorway restricted carriageway is a little over 1km.
A political minefield this would be in the current political set up.
As someone who doesn’t know the legalities, can anyone fill me in on how exactly this would work if Westminster decided to upgrade the road. As far as I know all transport is a devolved matter in Scotland.
snookes wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 21:57
A political minefield this would be in the current political set up.
As someone who doesn’t know the legalities, can anyone fill me in on how exactly this would work if Westminster decided to upgrade the road. As far as I know all transport is a devolved matter in Scotland.
I think Johnson is on record as saying he intends to get the M4 Newport southern bypass built despite the Welsh government's decision against it. I've been waiting to see how that plays out. Should be fireworks.
snookes wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 21:57
A political minefield this would be in the current political set up.
As someone who doesn’t know the legalities, can anyone fill me in on how exactly this would work if Westminster decided to upgrade the road. As far as I know all transport is a devolved matter in Scotland.
I think Johnson is on record as saying he intends to get the M4 Newport southern bypass built despite the Welsh government's decision against it. I've been waiting to see how that plays out. Should be fireworks.
If it's an infrastructure scheme proposedby Johnson, that's a sure fire way of it never happening....!
snookes wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 21:57
A political minefield this would be in the current political set up.
As someone who doesn’t know the legalities, can anyone fill me in on how exactly this would work if Westminster decided to upgrade the road. As far as I know all transport is a devolved matter in Scotland.
I think Johnson is on record as saying he intends to get the M4 Newport southern bypass built despite the Welsh government's decision against it. I've been waiting to see how that plays out. Should be fireworks.
If it's an infrastructure scheme proposedby Johnson, that's a sure fire way of it never happening....!
Like London's Garden Bridge, which would have served no real purpose and was to be only 200m or so from an existing bridge with a footpath?
This article from 2004 seems to mysteriously mention the M75:
wrinkly wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 22:24
I think Johnson is on record as saying he intends to get the M4 Newport southern bypass built despite the Welsh government's decision against it. I've been waiting to see how that plays out. Should be fireworks.
If it's an infrastructure scheme proposedby Johnson, that's a sure fire way of it never happening....!
Like London's Garden Bridge, which would have served no real purpose and was to be only 200m or so from an existing bridge with a footpath?
This article from 2004 seems to mysteriously mention the M75:
As far as I can see the origins of this chimera lie with a group campaigning to get part of the A75 dualled offline on a new alignment South of Dumfries. This piece of road is rather unsatisfactory S2 with a number of roundabouts and is slow and congested not to mention rather dangerous. As these things do the ambitions of the group have increased somewhat but I don't believe that includes a full blown new motorway. http://www.dualthea75.co.uk/pages/news.html
In 2018 a petition to this effect was sent to the Scottish Parliament, the press of course inflated the whole thing and started talking about a new motorway. In the run up to a possible Indyref2 this has been seized upon by the Conservative group in the Scottish Parliament to embarrass the SNP. As far as I can see the local campaigners have seized upon the A66 upgrade as an example to be followed.
A72 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 10, 2021 04:21
It's probably a typo. I think they may have meant M73, or M77.
Given that the story dates from 2004 and refers to Govanhill I suspect that it does indeed refer to the M74 extension between Junctions 1 to 3 which opened in 2011 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... t-13931242
I'm disappointed that Sir Peter Hendy, of all people, after his lucrative bit of consultancy about the idea, merely concluded that it needs further lucrative consultancy. I always found him more practical than that.
I see one of the two "engineering professors" now appointed comes from that well known organisation of consultants who are held in such high regard for what they did on Crossrail ...
"... Xxx will bring a wealth of experience and expertise and will help us ensure that Crossrail is delivered on time and within budget."
WHBM wrote: ↑Wed Mar 10, 2021 09:39
I'm disappointed that Sir Peter Hendy, of all people, after his lucrative bit of consultancy about the idea, merely concluded that it needs further lucrative consultancy. I always found him more practical than that.
I see one of the two "engineering professors" now appointed comes from that well known organisation of consultants who are held in such high regard for what they did on Crossrail ...
"... Xxx will bring a wealth of experience and expertise and will help us ensure that Crossrail is delivered on time and within budget."
What is more practical than a consultant who is happy to get consultancy work ?
As for the Crossrail link I fail to see the relevance of a 12 year old press release about an urban London railway to a proposed road upgrade in Dumfries and Galloway
Actually i do think they really are looking at this -
They are looking at fossil fuels, and reducing the use of - Dont the ferries use a significant amount of fuel ? how many crossings a day ?
Building a motorway or a purpose designed road link from the border to portpatrick would allow them to electrify that route if needed, an online upgrade, imagine trying to upgrade that later for electrification. going towards an integrated transport solution that links ireland to the mainland uk is needed and it isnt beyond the technology that we have. it may be a challenge but its doable. A fixed link would be a huge benefit indeed,
jackal wrote: ↑Wed Mar 10, 2021 09:38
It will never happen of course, but if it did you could extend the M6 to Northern Ireland
I think a fixed link will most likely be rail only. Cheaper to build, more efficient for freight, faster, cleaner, ect.
Perhaps the new Motorway could be the M7 were missing?
Its does seem that it will be rail only IF it ever happens. If it was road or road and rail, it would be the longest road tunnel in the world by ~10 Miles (I think)
A trans Pennine tunnel and Motorway upgrades for parts of the A1, A12, A34 are a far better use of a limited transport budget (no vanity and wow factor though).
