The Biggest Megaprojects Never Finished
Chang Yun international project
China has arguably gone through the most rapid transformation of any country in the past three decades the country has completed massive mega-projects worthy of the country's rising economic growth while china has become a leader when it comes to infrastructure projects it has also earned a reputation for turning cities into ghost towns with little to no population one of these ghost towns is located in china's Hubei province the Shangyun international project this development is divided into two distinct residential and entertainment districts and was set to feature European-style buildings connecting bridges huge parking and shopping complexes and even skyscrapers but the rapid development came to a grinding halt in 2014 when the real estate company behind the project was put under investigation for corruption the property prices nose dived as a result and the company ended up declaring bankruptcy the head developer aimed to invest 17 billion dollars into the project and close to 700 residential complexes were already sold when the construction stopped the location for the project is very convenient with proximity to rail and subway stations traffic can be heard roaring across the streets just outside the district but inside it paints a picture of a ghost town that is only inhabited by stray animals the project was seized by local authorities in 2017 with no further development moving into the property became impossible and the premises have remained empty the billions invested are at risk of being lost as the buildings inside the development continue to deteriorate today the location is practically a landmark for explorers who come here to take photos and are amazed by the fact that such a huge development could be left in its current state
London garden bridge
Our next unfinished mega project was planned in Europe at one of London's most iconic destinations the Thames river the city had planned to build a bridge that would act as a floating garden above the river the project was first lobbied by actor Joannal Umley who came up with the idea of a garden bridge in the 90s a woodland and it's bang in the middle it comes from temple tube station to here until 2012 but the plans were finally unveiled the 366 meter green bridge covered with trees and flowers at a cost of 85 million dollars was going to connect the south bank with the temple area the clad concrete structure was supposed to be open 18 hours a day and would have attracted an estimated 3 million visitors per year it was promised that the bridge would be financed by private donors and no public funds would be needed however by 2015 the charity behind the project called the garden bridge trust revealed that the costs had risen to 260 million dollars and 85 million dollars were to be procured from public funds this resulted in a massive public outcry and several journalists criticized the project for its extravagance it was said that the bridge wasn't serving any immediate purpose as it was built in an area that already had enough bridges compared to other similar venues this proposed bridge was way too expensive the 325 meter millennium bridge for example was constructed at a cost of just 25 million dollars
The preparations were stalled in July 2016 pending a financial review by 2017 the costs had risen beyond 280 million dollars and only 180 million was secured at the time it would have taken at least six more years to arrange the money needed for the project that's why it was officially scrapped in august 2017 as the review committee decided it was better to cut their losses instead of moving ahead with the costly venture the inquiry also revealed that talks were held with apple to fund the project and to name it the apple bridge if an agreement was reached but the company wanted to open a store at the premises something that would go against the vision of the project the failed project is said to have cost 60 million dollars the bulk of which went to the contractor as a contract had already been signed and another 12.5 million dollars went to design costs
What was once dubbed as a gift to London faced financial uncertainty and a lack of transparency from the start as a result what was meant to be a sustainable and scenic architectural icon turned into a planning disaster spending millions without even starting construction
Doha shark crossing
In 2010 Qatar was awarded the rights to host the 2022 FIFA world cup under controversial circumstances immense pressure for a transparent inquiry resulted in the sacking and resignations of prominent FIFA officials the 2022 FIFA world cup is Qatar despite the outcry Qatar moved ahead with its preparations which included numerous infrastructure projects one of these was the Doha bay crossing renamed later as the Doha shark crossing the project was first unveiled in 2013 and the plans included a 12 kilometer long crossing consisting of three bridges interconnected by long underwater tunnels the crossing was expected to host 6000 vehicles per hour enabling smooth and rapid traffic movement between the west bay area and the Hamad international airport the ambitious engineering project was projected to cost 12 billion dollars but less than two years after it was announced it came to a halt low oil prices and an overburdened construction sector were cited as major reasons behind the delay a rapidly increasing population meant
there was an increased demand for residential developments causing a shortage of skilled labor in view of the economic strain and a stretched labor market the government postponed all non-essential mega projects one of which was the shark crossing after a delay of four years the project was revisited in December 2019 when Qatar's public works authority invited local contractors to brief them on the plans to restart the project the local companies were asked to form international alliances and the construction was scheduled to start towards the end of 2020. in 2020 Qatar announced a 140 billion the completion of their mega projects so there is hope that this project will restart in 2021 however even if the construction starts it will take at least four years to complete the Doha shark crossing which takes the completion date well beyond the world cup in 2022
Ryu Gong hotel
Next on the list we have a mega project from North Korea an unexpected entry on the list because the country is known to be hesitant in welcoming foreign visitors especially from the western world to this day only state-guided tours of the state are allowed and it remains impossible for journalists to take a trip there despite all of that there was once a time when north Korea wanted to accommodate thousands of foreign visitors in a 105-story pyramid-shaped hotel that would be the tallest hotel of its time the project was conceived as a result of north Korea's direct rivalry with South Korea which was just transitioning into a capitalist democracy as opposed to the communist regime in the north a south Korean firm had just built the tallest hotel in the world in Singapore and North Korea wanted to take that achievement away so in 1987 construction started on the Ryu Gong hotel with financial backing from Russia
standing at 330 meters the building would consist of three wings each forming a cone towards the top the upper part of the pyramid-shaped structure was to house five revolving restaurants with panoramic views of the Pyongyang skyline December of 1991 marked the end of the soviet union and the money behind the project dried up construction was halted in 1992 and there was no progress for the next 16 years during that time the hollow concrete structure became known as the hotel of doom an Egyptian company took over the project in 2008 and installed a glass Facade and Leds to the building's exterior for 180 million dollars further engineering issues halted the renewed construction efforts and the building was deserted yet again
it came to life once again 10 years later in 2018 when the Leds on the exterior found a new use the building is now lit constantly with Korean history and other messages from the government displayed on it however projections suggest that it will cost two billion dollars to complete the hotel which is five percent of north Korea's total GDP so despite the stops and starts it seems very difficult that this concrete mountain will ever be finished the Yu Yong hotel is currently listed by Guinness world records as being the tallest unoccupied building in the world however that record might be under threat from our last project on the list
Golden Finance 117
For the final mega project we head back to china where one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world remains unfinished the construction on the golden finance 117 started in 2008 with the view that it will surpass the shanghai tower to become the second tallest building in Side with the Burj Khalifa. the tower's basement was completed by 2012 and it topped out at 597 meters in September 2015.