The unborn Gibraltar bridge
It was some time ago, but professor T.Y. Lin’s design of the never-built bridge that spanned across the Strait of Gibraltar is still amazing.
There are many engineers who have come up with their own structures for the construction of the Gibraltar Bridge. Professor T.Y. Lin thought of connecting the Point Oliveros with the Point Cires.
With its 14km length, deep piers, and unprecedented 5′000 meter spans Lin’s proposed crossing is innovative but, considering an estimated cost of over $15 Billion and the lack of approval for this nearly 10 year old design, it is unlikely it will ever get built.
The Gibraltar tunnel is an alternative for the Gibraltar Bridge. It is a railway tunnel which has been planned to be constructed between the continents of Europe and Africa. Since the 1980s, the manufacture of either a Gibraltar Bridge or else a Gibraltar tunnel has been bothering the mind of the engineers belonging to the two continents.
Proposed construction of the Gibraltar Bridge started this year with the Moroccan as well as the Spanish government investigating this issue jointly. The feasibility of a Gibraltar tunnel or Bridge right beneath the Gibraltar strait will be quite similar to the Channel Tunnel that connects the countries of France and the United Kingdom. However, the strait is much deeper.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Strait of Gibraltar
If you believe in climate change and then in an increase sea level then you could realize that what Strait of Gibraltar needs is something like a Dam that could make steady the Mediterranean sea level.
Maybe it would cost twice the Apollo program, but beaches, cities like Venice, Nile delta, La Manga and many things could be saved from the sea level increase.
More than 10 million people live in areas of the Nile delta that could be inundated by a 2 meter sea level rise.
The old mare nostrum maybe is one of the most polluted seas, but was the center of the world.
This inland sea is bordered on the north by Europe, the east by Asia, and in the south by Africa. This 969,100 sq. mile body of water is approximately 2,300 miles in length. Not mentioned Black Sea.
I Know a Dam is more expensive and even impossible to build (as channel Tunnel was) that an bridge or tunnel.
Also it will require make exclusas like Panama channel, but then it will make not necessary make an bridge maybe more than 150 feet over sea level to permit the vassels could pass under it
The level difference by consecuence of climate change could be used for hydro-electric power station. energy
It is necessary solve problems like salinity currents in the botton of the strait and sustain an Mediterranean live and living creatures that emigrate from one sea to the other
That way would make save The Mediterranean and join two continents, you could kill two birds with one stone.
Think Twice.