Russia Plans World's Longest Tunnel, a Link to Alaska [UPDATED]

Russia Plans World's Longest Tunnel, a Link to Alaska

www.bloomberg.com

April 18 (Bloomberg) -- Russia plans to build the world's longest tunnel, a transport and pipeline link under the Bering Strait to Alaska, as part of a $65 billion project to supply the U.S. with oil, natural gas and electricity from Siberia.

The project, which Russia is coordinating with the U.S. and Canada, would take 10 to 15 years to complete, Viktor Razbegin, deputy head of industrial research at the Russian Economy Ministry, told reporters in Moscow today. State organizations and private companies in partnership would build and control the route, known as TKM-World Link, he said.

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 30/10/2007 by Mirthful Me]

UPDATED

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I'm not sure what kind of military implications this could have? Economically I would have a wait and see attitude due to the failure of NAFTA and the exportation of jobs overseas.

Comments?

www.bloomberg.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I thought that area was particularly at risk from earthquakes. Besides doesn't Alaska have massive oil reserves?

I would like to see such a tunnel, don't get me wrong, but it just seems a odd thing to do.

And I don't understand what BlueRidge is getting at, could you elaborate a bit?

I think the main problem with this venture would be similar to the Eurotunnel -- border control and immigration.

It will definately open Russia up to the tourist $$$$$. Not a bad idea if it's not my money.

mikell

Well, I was referring the possibility that the tunnel would allow even more cheap goods to come in from Asia=more American jobs lost. The positive would be tourism of course and the exchange of natural resources.

fits wonderfully....just like China's road to the Middle East....why fly & sail when u can drive in...

But I thought Russia was mad at us for our 'cuban missile' style antimissile euro thing. Enemies make strange bedfellows.

I've heard that the Russians have already started the construction work on the tunnel.

Originally posted by Hellmutt
I've heard that the Russians have already started the construction work on the tunnel.

don't expect to go through the tunnel for free, I know russians well, it will cost u at least 50$ just to enter. And if it will be actually done, to what alaskan city will it be connected.

I had not heard of Alaska being in need of energy. This has been talked about in the past and I feel the main reason for the tunnel is to provide a travel link for economic reasons. I think it will be a good thing. Although depending on the toll I don't know if a poor man like me will ever be able to afford it.

a great and permanant replacement for the ice bridge which costs many lives each year from truckers using it - and many more will die in the coming years with global warming and ice getting thinner. the north west passage (and north east passage not long either) opening up in a fair indication that this land route is needed.

reply to post by CarlosG


CarlosG mentioned the earthquake risk for this region so I did some looking at USGS and historical data for the area.



The tunnel would cross under the Bering Strait, and actually that area is fairly geologically stable. Most of the shaking happens along the Alaskan peninsula and along into the Aleutian Islands. They also run in a line up through Anchorage and curving north into the center of Alaska.

Both the Russian side and US side of the Bering Strait rarely experience earthquake activity, and what the historical record shows are very mild tremors.

I had heard about the idea of a bridge across the Strait a couple years ago, I think it was in a Popular Science article, but it was deemed unfeasible.
The amount of ice moving through the area would be a constant threat to any structure built above the water.

The tunnel idea seems to be the best solution, and the oil that moves across from Russia would not be used in Alaska. It would most definitely be transported south for use in the lower 48.

Originally posted by Harlequin
a great and permanant replacement for the ice bridge which costs many lives each year from truckers using it - and many more will die in the coming years with global warming and ice getting thinner.

I think you may be confusing this with other seasonal ice roads in the north.
No trucks are driving across the Strait at any time of the year, ice roads are built over fresh water or marsh land.

This is the proposed route for the tunnel or bridge:



If it does ever get built I think the tunnel idea would be a far better choice. You don't have to worry about ice and storms if your underground, and any bridge would need to be covered to protect vehicles from the elements.

EDIT: Wiki link.....
en.wikipedia.org...

[edit on 29/10/2007 by anxietydisorder]

I thought for sure this thread would attract more attention due to the political ramifications involved in such a project. I can see why both countries would want this corridor built, Russia wants to sell oil, gas, electricity, and move freight, and the US wants to buy all that stuff.

I don't see it being a tourism attraction though. If you've ever visited this part of the world you know it's a very bleak and barren area that's very far from anything that would attract the tourist crowds. It's not like you'll drive over to visit Moscow or St. Petersburg, that's a long way away from where this would be built.

I suspect the stretch from Russia to Big Diomede will be a tunnel, then a bridge to Little Diomede, then back into a tunnel for the trip into Alaska.
Crossing the bridge between the two islands will be the international border and you'll have to change your watch 21 hours due to the time difference.

If it unfolds the way I suspect it won't be the longest tunnel in the world, it will be two separate tunnels connected by land and a bridge.

Here's a little snippet about the area:

The area is sparsely populated. The Diomede Islands lie directly in the middle of the Bering Strait, and the village of Little Diomede has a school which is part of Alaska's Bering Strait School District. The Russian side is 21 hours ahead of the American side, and so on a different day, as the International Date Line runs equidistant between the islands at a distance of 1.5km (1mi).

The area in the immediate neighbourhood on the Alaskan side belongs to the Nome Census Area, which has a population of 9,000 people. There is no road from the Bering strait to the main cities of Alaska. Air is the main mode of travel. There are a few roads around Nome. However there is no regular air connection across the strait, just a few summer charter flights. This is because of a Russian policy only to allow tourists in organized tours, and with special permit to everyone.

The Russian coast belongs to Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Provideniya (4,500 people) and Chukotsky (5200 people) are the two areas located at the Bering Strait. These areas are also roadless.
en.wikipedia.org...

Rail lines will need to be put in for this project to be a success.


Edit: Had to add something.....

[edit on 29/10/2007 by anxietydisorder]

I think this is great idea, this possibly ease some tension between USA and Russia.
Maybe a sign that we can work together without being complete war hungry idiots that we are.

Originally posted by CarlosG
I thought that area was particularly at risk from earthquakes.

The build area is north of the Pacific Ring of Fire,
Where ninety percent of the world's earthquakes happen.
en.wikipedia.org...

The project has been approved.

In what could certainly be one of the boldest infrastructure developments ever announced, the Russian Government has given the go-ahead to build a transcontinental railway linking Siberia with North America. The massive undertaking would traverse the Bering Strait with the world’s longest tunnel – a project twice the length of the Chunnel between England and France. The $65 billion project aims to feed North America with raw goods from the Siberian interior and beyond, but it could also provide a key link to developing a robust renewable energy transmission corridor that feeds wind and tidal power across vast distances while linking a railway network across 3/4 of the Northern Hemisphere.

Source

Alaska dont need the engergy but they have the capacity to ship it south via the oil pipeline or ships.

It would be kind of cool if it was a road tunnel for normal traffic. That would mean I could theoretically drive from the UK to Tierra Del Fuego

THat would be awesome if this is successful. If it opens up where you can drive thru it, you can literally drive around the world. From New York to South Africa. That would be an Awsome road trip!!

Originally posted by Alchemst7
THat would be awesome if this is successful. If it opens up where you can drive thru it, you can literally drive around the world. From New York to South Africa. That would be an Awsome road trip!!

Is it going to be a passenger-train or a vehicle-transport train though??

The concept of an overland connection crossing the Bering Strait goes back before the 20th century. William Gilpin, first governor of the Colorado Territory, envisioned a vast "Cosmopolitan Railway" in 1890 linking the entire world via a series of railways.

en.wikipedia.org...