These are some of the biggest and most expensive projects in the world
Technological advancement has enabled us to conquer new spheres and create extraordinary structures. These days, buildings are breaking records for being the tallest on a regular basis, projects all across the globe; be it energy, transportation or the entertainment sector, some brilliant minds are constantly creating colossal and gigantic structures. This article provides information on some very impressive mega projects across the globe. Read the article and enjoy learning about these amazing feats of engineering.
Read the complete article to learn about these awesome mega projects!
Panama Canal Expansion, Panama
Time to build: 11 years
Cost to build: $5.25 billion
The Panama Canal is so 1914. That’s why the expansion project, set to complete in 2016, will carve out a new 3.8-mile-long channel for new locks—which require 4.4 million cubic meters of concrete—and widen and deepen what is already there. Ships have grown a lot over the past century, and so the world’s most famous canal must do the same to keep pace, even if that does mean whittling away more of Panama.
Port Mann Bridge, Vancouver, B.C.
Time to build: 6 years
Cost to build: $1.93 billion
The widest bridge in the world (until the Bay Bridge’s east span recently opened), the bridge east of Vancouver, B.C., which opened in 2012, remains the second-longest bridge in North America. The cable-stay bridge uses an impressive 288 cables to reach a total bridge length of 6,866 feet.
Aizhai Suspension Bridge, China
Time to build: 5 years
Cost to build: $600 million
The world’s highest bridge, connecting two tunnels in China, is also one of the world’s longest suspension bridges. Opened in 2012, the bridge sits 1,200 feet over the Dehang Canyon and spans a tower-to-tower distance of 3,858 feet. The mountains on either side anchor the suspension towers.
Marmaray Tunnel, Turkey
Time to build: 9 years
Cost to build: $4.5 billion
It took nine years and $4.5 billion to build, but the 47-mile underwater railway tunnel connects the European and Asian sides of town, giving Istanbul a new rail line into and out of the city when it opened in 2013.
London Crossrail, London
Time to build: 11 years
Cost to build: $23 billion
London continues to grow underground. Eight tunneling machines recently wrapped up 26 new miles of tunnel for new subway track that will connect 40 stations—including 10 completely new ones—to improve transportation in England’s largest city.
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, China
Time to build: 7 years
Cost to build: $10.6 billion
The incredible scope of this mega-infrastructure project includes a 16-mile bridge-to-tunnel structure, with the tunnel portion spanning about four miles. Two artificial islands for the tunnel landings will help engineers create both the tunnel section and anchor the bridge portions, which will connect Hong Kong and the mainland via a mega-crossing.
Etihad Rail, United Arab Emirates
Time to build: Unknown
Cost to build: $11 billion
Rail may soon be the fastest and easiest way to get around the United Arab Emirates. The three-phased Etihad Rail project, which now has the first phase wrapped, plans to connect 745 miles of new rail across the country to link with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
Beijing Daxing International Airport, China
Time to build: 5 years
Cost to build: $13 billion
This will be the home of the world’s largest airport terminal, the gleaming Terminal 1, designed by Zaha Hadid. Built to accommodate 100 million passengers per year and with seven runways and 7.5 million square feet of the space, the airport’s first phase should finish in 2018, with the rest slated to wrap up in 2025.
New Century Global Centre, China
Time to build: 3 years
Cost to build: Unavailable
At more than 18 million square feet, the New Century Global Centre is the world’s largest freestanding building in terms of floor space. The structure includes multiple shopping malls, hotels, offices, theatres, theme-park-like attractions, and even a water park.
Atlanta Falcons Stadium, Atlanta
Time to build: 3 years
Cost to build: $1.2 billion
Any new football stadium is probably going to get a retractable roof. This $1.2 billion altar to opulence, however, has one that’s rather unusual: It’s made of eight roof “petals” that create a camera lens-like effect when the roof opens and closes. Made of ETFE fabric, the translucent panels allow light into the stadium even when they’re closed. The roof will take eight minutes to open and expose the brand-new stadium planned for a 2017 opening.
The complete article can be accessed here:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/g2121/the-worlds-25-most-impressive-megaprojects/
