Rothera Research Station
It is located in one of the world's most remote and hostile regions with temperatures ranging from 5 ° to 40 ° Celsius is where the UK is currently building a $ 415 million megaproject project. Everything you see here, workers, equipment, and building materials had to be shipped from the UK to Antarctica, a journey of nearly 11,000 miles. But what are they really building here? This area serves as Britain's largest polar research center and has many scientific programs going on in partnership with the Netherlands. One of these science projects is real research on climate change. For this purpose, the Antarctic climate and wildlife are constantly monitored in order to create accurate models of climate change that can predict sea level rise. Over the years, additional facilities were added to facilitate effective research despite the extreme weather conditions. Once there was only a small base for four people now have a complex of up to 130 full-time employees during the summer months. For almost 4 years the British government has been working on an expensive government-sponsored project in Antarctica since the 1980s: A program called the Antarctic Infrastructure Modernization Program. And part of this $ 415 million project is upgrading the Rothera Research Station. Most of this buildings at the station were out of order and in need of renovation. Otherwise that is, a new $ 55 million port was completed in 2020 to accommodate a new polar research vessel. Also, construction of the so-called Discovery Building has begun and is expected to be completed in 2024. Discovery Building is a new center of science and practice combining more energy-efficient systems to minimize the local impact of the channel. The two-story building will include a field trip, a medical center and an office places and changed the number of old buildings.
Etihad Railway Megaproject
From the ice shelves to the icy sea, we now take you to the sand dunes and endless heat in the Arabian desert, where the UAE is currently building the Etihad Railway. When you're done, the $ 11 billion megaproject will connect the UAE with Saudi Arabia over 1,200-kilometers. a long network from Guwaifat district in Abu Dhabi to the port of Fujairah on the east coast. This massive infrastructure project, however, is only a small part of it members of the Gulf Cooperation Council - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates - plan for the future of their countries. Since all GCC countries are heavily dependent on oil, their economies were severely affected in 2008. financial crisis and the Covid-19 epidemic. To overcome this, the GCC regions are now fully operational together in a long-term solution with a network of 100 billion train networks for better connectivity their ports and industrial centers. This will allow them to continue to diversify their economy and in the end they are less dependent on fat. But let’s take a closer look at the UAE Etihad Railway megaproject, which poses the most special and extreme challenges, as it exceeds one in the hottest and most cruel regions in the world. During the day, the temperature can reach up to 50 ° Celsius, so construction workers are forced to work nights at temperatures below 30 ° Celsius. Extreme heat, however, is not their only problem. As the construction site exists in the middle of the desert, you should naturally face a lot of sand. In the time of strong winds, piles of sand can settle on the construction site and make the work impossible or damage to rail. Therefore, nearby sand dunes are slowly being transformed into clay. However, this process takes years to complete. Another quick solution fighting a large amount of sand to plant more trees along the railway line. These trees it can act as a natural wall and protect the sand-covered railway. The Etihad megaproject will be built in two phases and should be fully operational 2024. Construction of the first stage began in 2009 and consists of two long tracks 264 km from the Shah and Habshan gas stations and the western Ruwais port in the United Arab Emirates. The railway should also help the country to reduce its carbon footprint, which is one of the worst in the world. A single train ride is worth a lift about 300 trucks off the road, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 70-80% compared to using trucks. Phase 2 of the project will add another 600 km to the railway network to connect the east coast with other important industrial regions.
Norway Coastal Highway
Norway is famous for its beautiful scenery and healthy coastal cities, high mountains, and high cliffs. But such an amazing place comes with great difficulty when it comes to traveling the country. Currently, a trip from Trondheim to the south going to Bergen in the north will take about 21 hours and requires no less than 7 boats. Improving this slow connection in western and northern cities, and thus also improving economy, Norway has now finally decided to solve this problem with the development of a $ 47 billion highway. This highway will be the first of its kind when completed and will include floating bridges, floating channels and the world's deepest tunnel, the Rogfast tunnel. The Rogfast submarine tunnel is the first of its kind to cross from 2018 and initially scheduled for completion in 2026. However, cost overruns has now delayed the project by at least 2031. At a depth of about 1,600 feet [400 m] below sea level, the 30-mile-long tunnel will be the longest and deepest underground tunnel in the world. However, the most demanding and challenging phase of the entire coastal highway is possible crossing the Sognefjord. The reason is that Sognefjord is the deepest and largest Fjord Norway, with a size of more than 37 km wide and a depth of 1.3 km at a very low point. Crossing the Sognefjord challenge involves its vast size, and a large number of vessels entering the Fjord regularly. As a rule, all crossing should allow for a clear naval route not less than 400 meters wide, and 70 meters permit above sea level and permit not less than 20 meters below sea level. Putting everything In this case, the project team came up with a number of ideas for crossing the Fjord. The first view is a standard suspended bridge with a cross section of 3700 meters. The long-term bridge is a support tower of about 450 feet [450 m], much higher than The Empire State Building, and if built, could be the longest bridge in the world. The second idea to cross the Sognefjord is to build a floating bridge. This will also mean that the bridge may need to be lifted to accommodate ships. This will prove it It is very difficult for the developers as the bridge would be tied to each shore. There is also the concept of an underwater floating tunnel. Due to the extreme depth of the Sognefjord, the tunnels will be suspended on floating pons. which can allow vessels to easily pass overhead. Most likely, the solution to this problem is a mixed concept, which could include a floating pontoon bridge and a water immersion section Floating tunnel, allowing for easy navigation. If this idea is applied, it will the first of its kind in the world.
High-speed Tibetan train
Among the wonders of the so-called roof of the earth, China is building one of the world's most dangerous railways. The Tibetan Plateau has a measure at an altitude of more than 4,000 feet [4,500 m] and is surrounded by the highest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest on the border with Nepal. They currently work on 1,800 The one-kilometer-long train travels from the Tibetan capital Lhasa to Chengdu. The work was divided into three phases and two of them were already open. On the railway line from Lhasa to Nyingchi alone, about $ 6 billion was spent. This The 400-kilometer section has 47 tunnels and 121 bridges to compensate for the elevation. the difference. Due to its high altitude, trains are equipped with unique technology, including oxygen supply system and special windows to protect against high UV exposure. However, the hardest part is still ahead of them. Construction of more The 1,000-kilometer intermediate phase between Ya'an and Nyingchi began in late 2020. The area is also known for frequent earthquakes, such as the plates of the Indian and Eurasian continents collide here. Landslides, landslides, and floods are not uncommon in this region. In addition, building in the Tibetan permafrost area that expands in winter as well summer shrinkage had to be avoided. To build a railway under these conditions is amazing so about 90 percent of this line runs over viaducts or through channels, which makes it a very expensive project. More than a hundred temporary medical facilities were available scattered along the tracks to provide immediate medical attention to construction workers. In addition to the challenging height that makes the work exhausting, workers and have to deal with significant temperature fluctuations. Within the channels, can reach up to 45 ° Celsius, but outside, the temperature is usually below 30 ° Celsius. All work is expected to be completed by 2030. Once completed it will make it much easier to reach this amazing region and is a major step forward in China's plan to improve the country's infrastructure.
Diamond Mir Mine Extensive construction
The project on our list is the Mir diamond mine in the Siberian region of Eastern Russia. Siberia is well-known for its mild winters and temperatures with moderate temperatures below 0 ° Celsius. Not many people live in this ungrateful area, but in the 1950's, a Soviet geographer Yuri Khabardin embarked on a remarkable journey to this remote Siberian region. Many similar the trip failed before him, but Yuri managed to get deposits with diamonds. Today, when Yuri begins to discover diamonds, he lays one of the deepest man-made holes. an open pit mine more than 500 meters deep. To give you an idea, this mine is very deep you can match the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, or the Lakhta Center, the tallest building in Europe, inside it and there would still be some space left. Diamond mining began in the late 1950's, but adverse weather conditions made it almost impossible it is impossible. Winter can last up to seven months, making things brittle due to temperatures reaching below 30 ° Celsius and even freezing machine oil. As a result, they are not miners Explosives had to be used to melt permafrost in an attempt to reach the diamond mine. At night, the entire mine had to be covered to keep out equipment injuries due to extreme cold. Summers were also not good, like the ground turned to mud. All buildings had to be built on stilts, otherwise,their heat would melt soil and exacerbate the problem of mud. This soil was unstable in a large processing industry, so it had to be built in a safe place more than 20 miles [20 km] from the mine. In August 2017, unfortunate hydrogeological conditions led to severe flooding he filled the mine with water. Of the 151 miners who came to work during the day, 143 redeemed. The search for the remaining eight miners was unfortunately stopped after. Mining is still underway at the Mir mine today, but all work has gone underground.