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The
road outlines are tentative and are designed to utilize the existing
highway grid. Thus many more arteries than illustrated above, would
be connected to the backbone of the Trans Global Highway. Not clearly
shown in the map above is that North America and Asia are to be
connected by the Bering Strait Tunnel
The Trans Global Highway would physically link by highways and
by rail transport, all continents and major population centers, with
the present exception of Australia, which, in the future, may be
linked via very long suspended, pre-formed, suspended underwater
tunnels from extending from the Philippine island chain.
From a human point of view, the advantages of the Trans World
Highway are enormous. First, it would allow rapid transport of raw
materials and finished goods from near and far. In addition, the
Trans Global Highway would offer a conduit for gas, oil and water
pipelines, as well as communication and electric power cables. It
should be noted that fresh water is a major issue among arid areas,
throughout the world, including the Middle East, western United
States, Africa and Central Asia. The Trans Global Highway combined
with water pipelines from areas of abundance to arid areas, could
benefit humankind even more. Perhaps there is a solution to the
theoretical threat of global flooding from melting land ice at the
poles, that some people fear.
The Trans Global Highway would undoubtedly increase global
security through mutually dependent trade and commerce. As with
almost all major public works projects, such as the Suez Canal, the
Panama Canal, the Chunnel, the Alaska Pipeline and others, many
people will argue that the tunnels, bridges and roads are not
necessary. Some may present counter arguments stating that existing
air and sea transport is just fine. Further, the cost may at first,
may seem astronomical, but in retrospect, every one of these
visionary projects has greatly helped mankind in commerce and
progress. Ultimately, the Trans Global Highway will be constructed,
in one form or the other, but we have an opportunity to start with,
at least the ground work of planning, today. The primary obstacles,
are not technical, and not even financial, even though the costs may
seem high. The real obstacle to the construction of the Trans-Global
Highway is political. Many bordering countries are presently at odds
with one another, and may not be willing to allow a free moving
highway to run through their territories, even with the potential of
vast economic benefits.
From a technical point of view, the entire road and rail
network is feasible, utilizing the engineering, materials and
technology of today. At first glance, the development obstacles of
the AmerAsian Peach Tunnel (Bering Strait
tunnel) may seem insurmountable, but this is not the case.
The Bering Strait Tunnel would consist of 3 tunnels
connecting Alaska and Russia by going through two islands (the Little
Diomede(USA) and Big Diomede (Russia)). The longest single tunnel
would be 24 miles in length. Since the Bering Sea at the
proposed crossing has a maximum known depth of only
170 feet, it is proposed that the tunnel be dug using conventional,
modern tunnel boring machines, of the type that was employed in the
construction of the Chunnel. The three tunnel proposal would be much
preferred over a bridge for a variety of reasons including that fact
that during the winter months, the Bering Strait is iced over and a
bridge would be subject to sever environmental conditions. Further,
in most cases, tunnels are both less expensive to construct and cost
less to maintain. Suspended under water tunnels are not suggested for
this crossing, because of the shallow depth of the Bering Strait.
It is proposed that the AmerAsian Peace Tunnel start on the US
side, from the town of Cape Prince of Wales, which has a population
of 156 and about 80 buildings, including a large school, streets and
general store, and end at the Russian settlement of Naukan or 2 km
north at the Dezhnev settlement. It is further proposed that the
tunnel pass though both Little and Big Diomede islands which can be
used for ventilation shafts and possibly as a relief station. Both
Little Diomede (USA) and Big Diomede (Russia) have been occupied for
hundreds of years. Little Diomede has a Inalik native village with a
population of about 200 and has a high school, store, Post Office, a
community hall and many residences. The terrain of Cape Prince of
Wales is very similar to the rolling grassy hills of Scotland and the
gentle hill ends at a flat area at the Bering Strait with a very nice
beach. The terrain of the Diomedes as well as the Russian Asiatic
mainland is similar to the fiords of Norway, though the tops of the
hills again are very similar to the rolling grassy hills of Scotland.
Archeological findings, date back to over two thousand years. There
are relatively flat areas along the coast of Russia, around the
proposed exit of the tunnel, that would be ideally suited for a major
highway and rail transport. In the winter time, the surface of the
Bering Strait is frozen and it is possible to walk or even drive
across the Strait, however, this is very dangerous, not to mention
that crossing would be going across international borders. The tunnel
would not be affected by the frozen Strait and tunnels under similar
conditions have been constructed world wide.
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State
of Alaska Photo
Cape
Prince Wales (USA), looking towards Russia, in the summertime. |
USGS
Photo
Big
Diomede (Russia) |
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USGS
Photo
Asiatic
Russia, just past the Diomede, in summer. The green is enhanced. In
reality, the greenery is similar to Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska. |
USGS
Photo
Little
Diomede (USA) in the foreground. |
It should be noted that presently, there are many tunnels
around the world that are as long as the longest tunnel needed to
complete the Trans-Global Highway. The "Chunnel" linking
England with Europe is approximately 31.34 miles (50.45km) long, the
ocean tunnel Seikan linking Hokkaido with Honshu in Japan is 33.46
miles (55.86km) long, while the new Swiss Gotthard tunnel through the
Alps, currently under construction, will be 35.7 miles (59.60km)
long. There are in fact, 5 tunnels over 30 miles in length, in
existence today.
Path of the
proposed AmerAsian / Bering Strait Tunnel
Click
on any photograph to enlarge. Use your back key to return to this menu.
(Please
also view the more detailed maps, found on the column to the right)
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The
Bering Strait is named after Captain Vitus Bering of the Imperial
Russian Navy, who was sent by Peter the Great, in 1725, to explore
the ocean surrounding the eastern most reaches of Russia. |
Japan could technically be connected with mainland Asia via
five tunnels extending from the city of Fukuoka on Kyushu to the port
city of Pusan in Korea via four islands. The maximum ocean depth in
this area is 480 feet. It is also feasible to connect Japan to
mainland Asia by constructing two tunnels extending north from
Hokkaido to Sakhalin Island, which would be 25 miles (42km) long and
a second tunnel from Sakhalin to the Siberian Russian mainland, which
would only be 4.2 miles (7km) long. Recent estimates are that as much
as 20 million tons of goods, manufactured in Japan could be shipped
overland via the Russian railroad system, bypassing the current
costly shipping costs, that include transit through the Suez Canal.
There is a major financial incentive to build the Hokkaido Sakhalin-Siberian
tunnel. It should be noted that the Russian standard gauge railroad
tracks have a slightly higher gauge than the global standard. Thus
the rails on the Russian guage tracks are approximately 8"
(20cm) farther apart than the rest of the standard gauge rails. This
system was adapted to have a wider footprint, to minimize sinking in
the soft summer soil in the tundra region (though some historians
have also stated that this "non-standard" was adapted to
prevent foreign armies from quickly using Russian tracks in the event
of war. Prior to the 1905 Russo-Japan war, the Chinese railroads,
which Russia built, also used this wider gauge After 1905, when the
Japanese took over the Chinese rails, the Japanese rebuilt the rails
to conform with the global standard, which Japan had adapted. Today,
railroads employ various techniques to overcome this inconsistency
including the addition of undercarriage hubs. One example of how
conflicting gauges are dealt with is shown below in the photographs
shot by the author in 1971. Perhaps a better, automated solution
would be to use flat cars designed to use the global standard 40 foot
(12 meters) and 20 foot (6 meter) shipping containers. These
containers could be loaded from one gauge flat car to another gauge
flat car in a matter of seconds. The author was amazed by the speed
in which container ships were loaded and unloaded. Similar special
technology can be engineered to do the same with railroads. The
Sakhalin Island has an advanced and extensive rail system. Further,
the Sakhalin Island region is very wealthy, being one of the major
oil producing regions of the world.
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Example
of how the Russian gauge
railroad cars
can
be made to run on European gauge track.
These
photographs were shot by the author in 1971 when he was just a child,
while
traveling in Wiebligen, western Germany, interested in model
electric trains.
Click
on any photograph to enlarge. Use your back key to return to this menu.
Click
to enlarge. Use your back key to return to this menu. |
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Dealing
with the snow
Much
of the arctic region has limited snowfall and can be controlled and
handled through conventional rail and road snow removal techniques.
In certain areas of high snow fall and accumulation, it may be
possible to construct steep roofed, prefabricated, inexpensive snow
roofs along the length of the effected track or road.
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This is an old fashioned
train snow plow found in Honesdale Pennsylvania. |
Unlike this 100 year old
train, modern railroad snow removal trains employ snow blowers that
run at relatively high speeds. |
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The
photographs below illustrate the terrain of norther Alaska and
Canada,
where photographed by the author, while flying in a commercial
Airline from New York City to Japan, in February, 2003. This
seemingly harsh terrain in fact is crisscrossed by roads and even
small airports. The terrain in Alaska and Russia, around the Bering
Strait is slightly less rugged. Existing paved roads exist in both
Russia and Alaska within a few miles of the Strait. These roads can
be widened to form part of the Trans Global Highway. In the
summertime, much of this area is spectacularly green with tall grass.
It may be possible to encapsulate the expanded and enlarged roads and
rail links with a network of in-expensive overhead prefabricated protectors.
Click
on any photograph to enlarge. Use your back key to return to this menu.
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GLOBAL
WARMING
A
possible solution for Global Warming Issues and concerns. |
Recently, there has been concern in the media that the earth is
getting warmer and this has been referred this as "global
warming". Some people have gone so far as to state that the
Arctic and Antarctic ice caps are melting and that the coastal areas
will be under water in the near future. Weather or not these dire
predictions are correct, the fact is that the Trans-Global Highway
could act as a pathway not only for rail roads and vehicular traffic,
but also for oil, gas and water pipe lines. Fresh water could be
piped from the fresh water rich northern regions to the arid parts of
the world. Overnight, issues regarding water usage could be solved.
Presently, there are a number of areas in need of additional fresh
water including the western states of the United States, the Middle
East, central Africa and Central Asia. The Trans Global Highway, with
fresh water pipelines running beside it, would be able to relieve the
need for rationing water.
In regard
to "Global Warming", it should be noted that historically,
earth does seem to go through long warm-cool cycles. For example,
1100 years ago, southern Greenland still had trees, but these died
out as Greenland became progressively colder between 900 and 1100AD.
Today, it seems that we are indeed entering into a warmer period. It
should also be noted that ice melting on water does not increase the
height of the water, since it has already displaced this water. If
ice is on the land and melts, it is possible that resulting water
could theoretically flow into the oceans and perhaps raise the sea
level by a modest amount. |
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The proposed
AmerAsian Tunnel would link North America and Asia, across the Bering
Strait, for the first time in an estimated 9 thousand years. It would
create a highway, railroad, fresh water, oil and gas pipelines and
communication crossings. |
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The construction
and use of the AmerAsian Tunnel would greatly reduce the overall cost
of transporting finished goods and raw materials to and from Europe,
Asia, North and South America. |
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From and
engineering perspective, the construction of the AmerAsian Tunnel is
straight forward without any particularly complex issues involved.
The Tunnel would comprise of 3 tunnels connecting Alaska and Russia
going through the Little and Big Diomede Islands.
Little and Big
Diomede Islands showing path of proposed Bering Strait tunnels. |
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The Bering Strait
is very shallow with a maximum depth at the proposed tunnel crossing
of only 170 feet (52meters). The surface of the Bering Strait is
frozen some of the time. The tunnel could be constructed in segments
in factories and then sunk and assembled underwater. It could also be
construced using modern tunnel boring machines or TBM's.
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The TransGlobal
Highway would incorporate the existing railroads and highway networks
in each country. The illustrated path of the proposed TransGlobal
Highway would also have numerous other tributary roads. |
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Existing roads may
have to be strengthened and or widened and brought up to a single
standard. The railroads of Russia are of a slightly wider gauge This
was designed to provide a greater footprint so that the rails would
not sink in the soft soil. Technologies exist for dual gauge train
cars. (Kindly see photographs of dual gauge trains, below). |
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The world as a
whole, would greatly greatly benefit from the TransGlobal Highway.
For example, Japan, in 2002, shipped 12 million metric tons of
finished goods to Europe, primarily by ocean. Some of the goods went
through the Suez Canal, while a portion of the goods also went around
South Africa. The shipping time from Yokohama to the European port of
Antwerp was in the order of 45 days. By rail, via the Trans Global
Highway, this time could be reduced to 12 days. |
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It is proposed
that two major tunnels be constructed to link Japan with Asia. These
being the Korea-Japan Friendship Tunnel and the Hokkaido to Sakhalin
Island-Asia Tunnel. These tunnels would thus quickly connect Japan
and the rest of the world to quickly and effectively transport people
and goods, at a minimal cost. |
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None of the major
tunnels that would have to be constructed for the TransGlobal Highway
would be particularly difficult to build. All of the tunnels would be
going through relatively shallow water. The tunnels can be
constructed in segments and than sunk and anchored to the bottom.
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In some
cases, could in fact be suspended from the ocean floor, deep enough
not to be effected by adverse surface weather conditions. This system
is not envisioned nor needed for the proposed tunnels, however this
system could be employed if at such time, a tunnel was to be
constructed to link Australia to the rest of the world, between the
Cape of York Peninsula in Australia and Papua New Guinea or Darwin to
Timor, via Melville Island. (See below for more details). |
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The proposed
segmented, prefabricated tunnels could provide for both vehicle as
well as rail transport, though with the potential complexity of
ventilation, a Chunnel approach may have to be taken, whereby the
vehicles are transported by electric powered railroad, through the
tunnel. Equally important, the Trans Global Highway would offer a
pathway for oil and gas pipelines, communication cables as well as
water pipelines to transport fresh water from areas of abundance to
arid areas. |
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In a way, much of
the TransGlobal Highway already exists in local roads and highways
across the globe. The proposed TransGlobal highway would utilize the
existing transportation network, extending, widening and perhaps
strengthening it so that it forms a uniform global highway. |
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The
Trans-Global Highway would include:
1.
Road transport
2.
Railroads
3.
Oil and gas pipelines
4.
Electric and communication cables
5.
Fresh water pipelines could minimize the concern of flooding as
presented in the theory of global warming. |
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A series of long,
though not particularly difficult to construct tunnels is proposed to
be built linking Indonesia and Australia with the rest of Asia,
Europe and the world. This would be a huge advantage for global trade
and travel. It should be noted that in every case when a major bridge
or tunnel has been proposed, there are groups of people who have
argued that existing ferries and boats or out of the way roads were
good enough. The fact is that after such construction, everyone
immediately agreed that the bridge or tunnel was needed. Such
examples can be seen with the Chunnel, the Brooklyn Bridge, the
Varazono Narrows bridge and many other examples. |
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If a tunnel
was to be constructed to link Australia to the rest of the world,
between the Cape of York Peninsula in Australia and Papua New Guinea
(147km / 88.2 miles) or Darwin to Timor, via Melville Island (400km /
240miles). These incredibly long tunnels are not being proposed at
the present time, though it should be noted that the Swiss Gotthard
tunnel through the Alps, which is at the final stages of completion,
will be 35.7 miles / 59.60km long. Arguable, the Swiss tunnel, bored
through solid rock, is more difficult to construct than the potential Australia-Papua
New Guinea tunnel. Presently, a major seaport is proposed to be
constructed on Timor so to link Timor with Darwin and the rest or Australia. |
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Turkey, which is
situated both in Asia and Europe, is presently linked to Europe via
two bridges. A third bridge is Presently at the beginning phases of construction. |
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The concept of
linking Spain with Africa, in the area of Gibraltar has been dreamed
of and proposed, many times over the past thousand years. The
proposed EurAfrica Tunnel is an absolute must and is technically very
easy to accomplish. It would allow a vast amount of raw materials and
finished products to be sent back and forth between Europe, Africa
and the middle East. |
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This illustration
is based on the 1929 proposal to link Spain with Africa, just south
of Gibraltar. With some slight modifications, and a much wider
(though not longer) tunnel, Europe and Africa can finally benefit
quickly and easily from one another. |
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Click
on any photograph to enlarge. Use your back key to return to this menu.
Closeups
of Key Proposed Tunnels
Please
click map to enlarge.
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Closeup of the
proposed path of the AmerAsian Friendship Tunnel. |
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The AmerAsian
Friendship Tunnel would consist of 3 tunnels, with the longest being
23 km. The tunnel could be built in 10 years at an estimated cost of
5.5 Billion (thousand million) U.S. Dollars. |
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Closeup of the
proposed path of the Sakhalin-Hokkaido Long Tunnel. |
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The Sakhalin-Hokkaido
Long Tunnel would be 42km long and could be constructed in 9 years,
at the cost of approximately 4.2 Billion (thousand million) U.S. Dollars |
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Closeup of the Sakhalin-Asia
Short tunnel that would connect the Sakhalin Island with Siberia. |
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The proposed Sakhalin-Asia
Short tunnel would be 7km (4.2 miles) long. It could be constructed
in 4 years at an estimated cost of 350 million U.S. Dollars. |
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Expanded view of
the region surrounding the The proposed Sakhalin-Asia Short tunnel |
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Proposed path of
the Sakhalin-Hokkaido Long Tunnel and the existing Seikan ocean
tunnel . |
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What about
Plate Tectonics?
Plate tectonics, should not play any significant role in the design.
Nevertheless, in certain cases, such as the AmerAsian Peace Tunnel
across the Bering Strait, a careful engineering study should be made
to determine, what, if any effect, would the theory of plate
tectonics have upon the proposed tunnels. Today we have many
engineering marvels which defy the powers of nature including massive
dams, flood water levies and incredible structures, such as Taipei
101, which is presently the worlds tallest building and is built in a
major earthquake zone. The slight but predictable changes in plate
orientation can be taken taken into consider during the design phase.
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TRANS-GLOBAL
HIGHWAY REPORT
ON CD-ROM: A complete, highly detailed report, is available on
cd-rom that covers the entire proposed route and proposed solutions
to all issues regarding the technical issues regarding the
Trans-Global Highway. If you represent a government agency, think
tank, academic institution, bank, environmental group or major
corporation, kindly send an email explaining your interest in this project.
TRANS-GLOBAL
HIGHWAY documentary
designed for television, is being produced and will be available shortly. |
