- Trans Global Highway
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See also: Cosmopolitan Railway
The Trans-Global Highway is a proposed highway system that would link all continents of Earth except Australia and Antarctica. The highway would network new and existing bridges and tunnels, improving not only ground transportation but also potentially offering a conduit for utility pipelines. It was proposed by Frank X. Didik.[1]
Contents
History
In 1890 William Gilpin[disambiguation needed
] first proposed to connect the continents by land via the Cosmopolitan Railway. Significant elements of that proposal, such as the English Channel Tunnel, have been constructed since that era. However, the improvement of the global shipping industry and advent of international air travel has reduced the demand for many intercontinental land connections. Some of the missing links are connected by car ferries.Major Components
Bering Strait bridge or tunnel
Main article: Bering Strait crossingOne of the major components of the proposal is to span the Bering Sea with a bridge or tunnel called the Intercontinental Peace Bridge, the TKM-World Link or the AmerAsian Peace Tunnel. This would link the Cape Prince of Wales, with the Russian Cape Dezhnev. The Bering Strait Tunnel would consist of 3 tunnels connecting Alaska and Russia by going through two islands (the Little Diomede (USA) and Big Diomede (Russia)). The longest single tunnel would be 24 miles (40 km). Since the Bering Sea at the proposed crossing has a maximum known depth of 170 feet (50 m), the tunnels might be dug with conventional tunnel boring machines of the type that was employed in the construction of the Channel Tunnel. The three tunnel proposal is considered by many[who?] to be preferable over a bridge due to severe environmental conditions, especially the inescapable winter ice damage.
Each proposed tunnel would be shorter than some current tunnels. The Channel tunnel linking England with mainland Europe is approximately 31.34 miles (50.45 km) long; the ocean tunnel Seikan linking Hokkaidō with Honshū in Japan is 33.46 miles (55.86 km) long; and the Swiss Gotthard Base Tunnel through the Alps, currently under construction, will be 35.7 miles (59.60 km) long.[1]
To make a bridge or tunnel useful, a road must be built to connect it, despite very difficult terrain and climate. In Alaska a 700 miles (1,100 km) road would be needed, and in Russia a road more than 1,200 miles (2,000 km) long must be constructed.
Japan Korea Tunnel
Main article: Japan-Korea Undersea TunnelJapan might technically be connected with mainland Asia via five tunnels, called the "Korea Japan Friendship Tunnel System," extending from the city of Fukuoka on Kyūshū, Japan, to the port city of Pusan in Korea via four islands. The maximum ocean depth in this area is 480 feet (146 m). Similar proposals have been discussed for decades by Korean and Japanese politicians.
Hokkaidō Sakhalin Asia Tunnel
Main article: Sakhalin-Hokkaido TunnelIt may also be possible to connect Japan to mainland Asia by constructing two tunnels extending north from Hokkaidō to Sakhalin Island (the Sakhalin Hokkaidō Long Tunnel), which would be 25 miles (42 km) long and a second tunnel from Sakhalin to the Siberian Russian mainland (the Sakhalin Tunnel), which would only be 4.2 miles (7 km) long. Moreover, Sakhalin Island region is a major oil-producing region, and the introduction of a pipeline would add a valuable secondary means of oil transport.[1]
Gibraltar Tunnel
Main article: Strait of Gibraltar crossingThe Gibraltar Tunnel is proposed to be a rail tunnel linking Africa and Europe. Due to the depth of the Strait of Gibraltar (300–900 metres / 1000–2950 feet), it would be a great challenge to remove automobile exhaust from this depth. Any tunnel would most likely be an electrified rail tunnel, similar to the Channel Tunnel linking the UK and France. There have also been proposals for a bridge over the Strait.
Australia-Papua New Guinea Tunnel and Connections to Indonesia
A tunnel/bridge between the Australian mainland and the island of New Guinea is considered economically infeasible owing to the great distance. Cape York in northern Queensland is 140 km away from New Guinea. This is a very long distance compared to existing tunnels or bridges, and the demand for car travel is not so high; as of 2009[2] there are no car ferries between Australia and Papua New Guinea. Passenger travel is by air only.
There might be more demand for connecting parts of Indonesia, most importantly the heavily populated island of Java, which could be connected to the Asian mainland by a crossing to Sumatra and from there across the Strait of Malacca to Singapore and/or Malaysia.
Red Sea
Main article: Bridge of the HornsA bridge spanning the Red Sea at the Bab-el-Mandeb has been proposed.[3] It would span from Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, across the strait, to Perim Island, and then to Yemen, for a total distance of around 18 miles including a suspension bridge spanning over 3 miles.
On February 22, 2008, it was revealed that a company owned by Tarek bin Laden is planning to build a bridge named Bridge of the Horns across the strait, linking Yemen with Djibouti[4] Construction was proposed to begin in 2009. Proposals have not yet been approved by the governments of Djibouti and Yemen.[5]
English Channel
There is no highway connection between Great Britain and the European mainland; only a railway connection, the Channel tunnel. A road tunnel was proposed as an alternative, but not considered viable.
Darién Gap
Main article: Darién GapA notable break in the Pan-American Highway is a section of land located in the Darién Province in Panama and the Colombian border called the Darién Gap. It is an 87 kilometres (54 mi) stretch of rainforest. The gap has been crossed by adventurers on bicycle, motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle, and foot, dealing with jungle, swamp, insects, and other hazards.
Some people, groups, indigenous populations, and governments are opposed to completing the Darién portion of the highway. Reasons for opposition include protecting the rain forest, containing the spread of tropical diseases, protecting the livelihood of indigenous peoples in the area, and reducing the spread of drug trafficking and its associated violence from Colombia.
Difficulties
As with all major public works projects, funding is an issue. Large international projects such as the Bering Strait crossing, Japan–Korea Undersea Tunnel, and Strait of Gibraltar crossing require not only great engineering effort, but also tremendous diplomacy to ensure that costs and benefits would be shared equitably. Other modes of transport, by air and sea, are already available. In addition, geological study must be done to ensure that the local plate tectonics would be compatible with the proposed tunnels.
Despite the hypothetical benefits of a global transport link, there is currently no publicised reasoning that would justify the massive financial cost of such a proposal.
See also
- Cosmopolitan Railway
- Trans-Asian Railway
- Atlantropa
- Pan-American Highway
- Transatlantic tunnel
- Strait of Messina Bridge
References
- ^ a b c "Proposal for a Trans-Global Highway". Frank Didik. http://www.transglobalhighway.com/. Retrieved 2007-07-14.
- ^ Australia PNG Indonesia by ship/ ferry
- ^ Notice-to-Proceed Launches Ambitious Red Sea Crossing – ENR | McGraw-Hill Construction
- ^ "Tarek Bin Laden's Red Sea bridge". BBC News. February 22, 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7259427.stm. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
- ^ "Steel Guru : Phase I of Yemen and Djibouti Causeway delayed – 151768 – 2010-06-22". http://www.steelguru.com/middle_east_news/Phase_I_of_Yemen_and_Djibouti_Causeway_delayed/151768.html. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
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