Two Really Big Bridges That Aren't Built Yet

"Dubai Wows Again with Biggest Arch Bridge Ever"
InventorSpot (February 11, 2008)

"They've got amazing hotels, artificial islands, even an indoor ski mountain. And now, to add to the list, Dubai will become home to largest arch bridge in world when the constructions of this monster is finished in 2012. Seriously, what can't they do over there?..."


(From Fxfowle, via InvetorSpot, used without permission)

The author seems to be hyperventilating a bit: but this Dubai project is pretty impressive.

"Dubai to build world's longest arch bridge"
ArabianBusiness.com (January 29, 2008)

"Dubai plans to build the world's longest arch bridge at a cost of 3 billion dirhams ($816.9 million), the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said on Tuesday.

"The RTA said it would take four years to construct the mega-bridge, which will measure 1,600 metres with an arch 205 metres high and 667 metres long.

"Once complete the bridge will overtake the Lupu Bridge in Shanghai as the longest in the world...."

This news article is quite a bit longer, and much more detailed, than the InventorSpot post.

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But Wait! There's More!

"A bridge too far?"
ArabianBusiness.com ((August 3, 2008)

"Already labelled the 'Bridge of the Century' by its supporters, developers plan to make engineering history by building a $25bn causeway between Africa and the Arabian peninsula. But is a project of such unprecedented scale viable?

"It's nothing if not ambitious. According to its backers, the $25bn 'Bridge of the Century' will be the world's longest suspension bridge, crossing the Red Sea at an 29-km wide strait known as the Bab al-Mandep, or 'Gate of Tears', and connecting the southern tip of Yemen with the Horn of Africa in Djibouti.

"The entire scheme, which also entails the creation of special economic cities at each end of the crossing, will demand a total investment of over $200bn in the two impoverished nations...."

I don't know what to think of this uber-mega-super-scale project. I don't doubt that eventually people will be building structures on this scale, but this Africa-Arabia bridge seems to be a bit of a big jump from existing megastructures, like the Lupu bridge and Dubai's artificial islands.

ArabianBusiness.com does a pretty good job of discussing what's happening, and speculating on how probable, or improbable, success of the transcontinental bridge and city-building project is.