Drumurile Europei

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Timeline: How plans for an Irish Sea link escalated before finally being sunk

Prime minister Boris Johnson has effectively sounded the death knell for a fixed link between Northern Ireland and mainland Britain, ending years of speculation about the ambitious project.

The Prime Minister has spoken repeatedly of his dream of a bridge or tunnel across the Irish Sea since it was first tabled three years ago.

However, speaking to reporters while in the United States, Johnson said it would not be included in forthcoming plans to improve the nation's infrastructure.

Instead he said schemes such as HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail will need to be completed first before plans for the ambitious link can be reconsidered.

How plans for an Irish Sea link escalated:
January 2018: Architect Alan Dunlop first suggested a bridge across the Irish Sea. Dunlop put forward two options – a link between Larne and Portpatrick costing around £20bn or a cheaper bridge between Mull of Kintyre and Torr Head estimated at around £12bn to £15bn.

March 2018: Talks open on Scotland-Northern Ireland bridge. The Scottish government announced that it was to open talks with Northern Ireland about the possibility of a bridge linking the two countries.

June 2018: Engineers tell Boris Johnson to leave bridges 'to the experts'. After supporting the Irish Sea bridge proposal publicly for the first time, engineers warn (then Foreign Secretary) Johnson off getting involved after his Garden Bridge escapades.

September 2019: Boris Johnson orders Northern Ireland-Scotland bridge study. Recently-elected prime minister asked both the Treasury and Department for Transport to produce a feasibility study into plans to build a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland.

February 2020: ICE calls for independent study on Irish Sea bridge. ICE head of policy and public affairs Chris Richards said the proposal "should be put to the National Infrastructure Commission and subjected to a comprehensive and independent study".

April 2020: Infrastructure ministers slam 'vanity project' as 'waste of money'. Infrastructure ministers in Northern Ireland and Scotland expressed concerns about the proposed £20bn Irish Sea link. Northern Ireland infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon said the bridge would be a "waste of significant money", while Scottish transport, infrastructure and connectivity secretary Michael Matheson labelled the scheme a "vanity project".

October 2020: Union Connectivity Review launched. Boris Johnson appointed Network Rail chair Sir Peter Hendy with finding ways to link up the four nations, with part of his remit to evaluate the possibility of an Irish Sea link.

December 2020: Floating underwater tunnel proposed as alternative Irish Sea link. A team from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh unveiled the concept, which involves the creation of a "submerged floating tube bridge" (SFTB). This would be anchored to the sea bed and tethered to pontoons on the surface.

January 2021: High Speed Rail Group calls for rail link beneath the Irish Sea. The HSRG proposed a cross-Irish Sea rail tunnel with connecting rail links to Carlisle and Belfast as part of its submission to the Union Connectivity Review.

February 2021: Underground roundabout beneath Isle of Man proposed to link three Irish Sea tunnels. Downing Street officials proposed an "underground roundabout" alternative to the Irish Sea tunnel plan championed by prime minister Boris Johnson. Plans involve not one, but three tunnels under the Irish Sea connecting in an "underground roundabout" beneath the Isle of Man.

February 2021: Tunnelling heavyweight picks faults with Irish Sea underground roundabout proposal. Bill Grose – a former British Tunnelling Society chair – highlighted several challenges presented by the Downing Street proposal but did not rule out the possibility of a link of some sort.

March 2021: Two past ICE presidents charged with officially assessing feasibility of link. Prime minister Boris Johnson instructed Douglas Oakervee and Gordon Masterton to carry out the official study, following recommendations made by Sir Peter Hendy in his interim report on Union Connectivity. Their findings are expected to be published alongside the final Union Connectivity Review.

June 2021: Proposal unveiled for bridge and tunnel crossing via two man-made islands. A proposal for a combined bridge and tunnel crossing between Dublin and Holyhead, including two new Irish Sea islands, was suggested as an alternative to plans for a Scotland to Northern Ireland link. Engineer Ian Hunt, who shared the plans with NCE, likened the proposal to Denmark's Oresund Crossing.

(Early) September 2021: Architect behind original plan backs UK engineers to build it amid reports that the project faces axe. Dunlop told NCE that he still backs the concept and said that the UK has the engineering talent to build it.

(Late) September 2021: Johnson admits defeat. Speaking during his US visit, the prime minister said the project is now a "long-term ambition" and wouldn't be built anytime soon.

Sursa.

Finally:
'Technically feasible' Irish Sea link ruled out over 'impossible to justify' £335bn cost

An Irish Sea crossing would be "technically feasible" but its costs are "impossible to justify" according to the feasibility study carried out alongside the Union Connectivity Review.

Two former ICE presidents, Douglas Oakervee and Gordon Masterton, were instructed to carry out the official study, following recommendations made by Sir Peter Hendy in his interim report on Union Connectivity.

The study has found that a bridge crossing would cost around £335bn, while a tunnel would cost around £209bn (see breakdown below).

The parameters required for either a tunnel or a bridge mean that they are "expensive" connectivity options, the study says, and as such it concludes that a link is not a viable option.

Union Connectivity Review chair Sir Peter Hendy emphasised the cost considerations.

He said: "Whilst the economic and social effects would be transformational, the costs would be impossible to justify, given the government's already very significant commitment to long term transport infrastructure improvement for levelling up, and the further likely significant expenditure which would result from the further studies I am suggesting in my main UCR report."

Cost breakdowns:




While the study concludes that "cutting-edge, twenty-first century civil engineering technology would make it possible to construct either a bridge or a tunnel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland", key factors pushing up the cost include the crossing's length, depth and complexity of connections at either side.

"A bridge crossing [...] would be the longest span bridge built to date. A tunnel would be the longest undersea tunnel ever built given the limited gradients on which trains can operate, the route it would need to take and the depths it would need to reach," the study says.

"In addition, based on today's technology and safety considerations, a tunnel crossing could only be constructed for railway use.

"The need for a railway on either a bridge or tunnel would also require significant construction to connect it to the railway network at either end, introducing some complexity since the Irish railway gauge is different from that of Great Britain."

These complexities along with planning, design, parliamentary and legal processes and construction mean it would take nearly 30 years before the crossing could become operational (see programme below).

The overall time required to design and construct either the bridge or tunnel would be around 17 years from notice to proceed. Around 10 additional years would be needed for conceptual design, environmental studies, public consultation and statutory approvals.

To factor in land connections the study says it is "reasonable to assume 20 years for the construction phase for the entire programme".



In total seven potential routes were assessed, with one preferred route selected for the tunnel option and one for the bridge option (see maps below).

A tunnel would stretch from Bangor in Northern Ireland to Stranraer in Scotland, while a bridge would begin further south along the coastline from Bangor and link to Scotland at just south of Stranraer.

Preliminary and preferred routes:




Sir Peter Hendy emphasised that despite the recommendation that further work on the link should not progress, it was "an excellent question to ask".

"For many decades, politicians and engineers have debated this proposal, but have done so without the evidence to show whether it was possible and, if so, what it would take to do it," he said.

"This is the first comprehensive, conclusive study on the subject since the idea was first mooted over 150 years ago. I am indebted to Doug and Gordon, and the teams, who have delivered this remarkable piece of work.

"Whilst I am unlikely to see such a link built in my lifetime, the march of technology, breakthroughs from UK infrastructure research, and ever-developing British engineering skills may yet be able to satisfy the ambition to join up Great Britain and Northern Ireland at an affordable price and timescale, and wise investment in UK research and development will bring this time closer."

The study adds that future transport technological advances, particularly autonomous vehicles, could allow for different tunnel and bridge designs, which could enable the construction of a fixed link and approaches at a lower cost.

Numerous proposals for bridges and tunnels, both road and rail, were suggested to the review.

The most recent, reportedly supported by No10, involves building an underground roundabout beneath the Isle of Man connected by three separate tunnels from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The feasibility of which was questioned by former British Tunnelling Society chair Bill Grose, who said that it is more "tongue-in-cheek" than a serious suggestion.

The High Speed Rail Group proposed a cross-Irish Sea rail tunnel with connecting rail links to Carlisle and Belfast, while transport think tank Greengauge 21 has also called for the creation of a Scotland-Northern Ireland tunnel which it says could form part of a "capital cities axis" between Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

In March last year, Alan Dunlop – the architect who first proposed plans for a crossing – said that a Northern Ireland to Scotland tunnel could cost up to £16bn less than a bridge. This came after Scottish secretary Alister Jack said that a tunnel was an option favoured by the UK Government due to its comparatively lower cost.

Sursa.

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În Franța s-a deschis autostrada A335, centura de de vest a Strasbourgului. Cunoscută sub numele de Grand Contournement Ouest de Strasbourg (CCC), are o lungime de 24 de kilometri.

La începutul anilor 2000, au fost făcute primele propuneri concrete pentru o nouă ocolire a Strasbourgului. O declarație de utilitate publică (déclaration d'utilité publique - DUP) a fost emisă în 2008, a cărei valabilitate a fost prelungită până în 2018; în Franța acest lucru este necesar pentru a construi o autostradă. În 2012, proiectul a fost anulat de noul guvern socialist. Proiectul a fost reluat la sfârșitul anului 2013 și a fost scos la licitație în 2014. Finanțarea a fost finalizată pe 27 aprilie 2018. Construcția a început în noiembrie 2018, iar autostrada era programată inițial să se deschidă în septembrie 2020, dar deschiderea a fost în cele din urmă amânată cu mai mult de un an. Autostrada a fost inaugurată pe 11 decembrie 2021 și deschisă circulației pe 17 decembrie 2021.

A355 este un drum cu taxă. În acest scop, concesionarul Autoroute du Contournement Ouest de Strasbourg (ARCOS), o filială a VINCI Autoroutes, a fost înființat în 2016. Acesta are o concesiune până în 2070. Va exista un sistem de taxare deschis cu o stație de taxare lângă Ittenheim. Se aplică tarife diferite, în orele de vârf fiind cele mai mari. Când drumul cu taxă a fost deschis, costurile taxei au fost de 2 x 2,50 EUR în orele de vârf și de 2 x 1,90 EUR în rest. Tariful pentru orele de vârf a făcut ca A355 să fie al doilea cel mai scump din Franța când a fost deschis.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA2A3_5ueus&ab_channel=VINCIAutoroutes

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Autostrada (autopista) A7, în jurul orașului Almería, Spania:

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Breakthrough near for Čebrať Tunnel
The 3.5km-long tunnel through Slovakia's Čebrať Hills is part of the D1 Ružomberok bypass.

The last 150m of Slovakia's Čebrať Tunnel should be completed by the end of this year. The 3.6km-long tunnel through the Slovakia's Čebrať  Hills is part of the D1 motorway Ružomberok bypass project between Hubova and Ivachnova. The national motorway company NDS also noted that work is continuing on the western portal of the tunnel.

The Ružomberok bypass project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023 and will cut the journey between the two towns by over 16 minutes. It was supposed to be completed in 2017. However, the project, originally to be only 2km long, had to be redesigned to 3.5km due to a landslide around the western portal of the tunnel. As a result the cost of the project increased to over €290 million (US$335.2 million). Construction works are being carried out by the Slovak-Czech consortium Vahostav-SK and OHL ZS.

Ružomberok, with a population of around 45,000 including its surrounding area, is in the Liptove region in northern Slovakia. It lies around 260km from the Slovakian capital Bratislava.

Earlier this year, Swedish contractor Skanska started on a €255 million deal for work on the 13.5km D1 highway stretch between Lietavská Lúčka and Dubná Skala. It includes construction of the Višňové Tunnel, the longest road tunnel in Slovakia and which will help reduce journey times in the area around Žilina.



Sursa.

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Bechtel vine în Muntenegru, în curând vor începe lucrările pe autostrada Adriatic-Ionică.

Do kraja godine dogovor o Jadransko-jonskom autoputu - U toku pregovori sa kompanijom Bechtel

Do kraja godine očekuje se konkretan dogovor o finansiranju Jadransko-jonskog autoputa, saopštio je ministar finansija i socijalnog staranja Milojko Spajić.

On je na svom Tviter nalogu napisao da su u toku pregovori sa kompanijom Bechtel.

- Bechtel boravi u Crnoj Gori kako bismo konkretizovali razgovore započete tokom nedavne posjete SAD, o finansijskoj konstrukciji Jadransko-Jonskog autoputa, koristeći Ekonomski Dijalog sa Ambasadaom SAD u Crnoj Gori - napisao je Spajić.

Konkretan dogovor o putu koji će povezati Crnu Goru sa Evropskom unijom očekuje se do kraja godine, dodao je.

Sursa.

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Autostrada A4 (Autostrada Serenissima), BERGAMO - MILANO, Italia:

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Bechtel de inceput stie sa inceapa repede, sa vedem si cand o termina. Din articol pare ca nu se stie cati km o sa construiasca

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Croația, centura orășelului Omiš:

[Ionut]

Arata super ciudat cu tunelul ala asa sus si fara pod. Are cineva planurile sau macar o schita cat-de-cat? Sunt curios ce pod fac acolo, e stanca.

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Pe openstreetmap arată că nu vor construi niciun pod, acel tunel fiind probabil pentru priveliște

[danutzu_1069]

Pe OSM figureaza si continuarea... dar nu in construcție... cel mai probabil pod si inca un tunel in cealalta parte...
LE:
"ZAGREB, 2 May (Hina) – The drilling of the Komorjak Tunnel outside the southern coastal town of Omiš was completed on Friday, two weeks ahead of schedule.

The 600-metre-long tunnel is part of the Omiš bypass road and is expected to relieve the traffic load in this small town, particularly during the tourist season. The project is worth HRK 174.46 million without VAT.

After the completion of the tunnel, work will begin on a bridge over the canyon of the River Cetina to connect the Komorjak Tunnel with the existing Omiš Tunnel. All the works are expected to be completed in September 2022.

Transport Minister Oleg Butković visited the building site, saying that this was a valuable project for Split-Dalmatia County and "part of the solution to the traffic problem on the the Split-Omiš route."

"All further phases of the project will mostly be prepared for the next EU financial perspective," he added.

The CEO of the state-owned road management company Hrvatske Ceste, Josip Škorić, said: "This 18-kilometre-long multimodal platform is a priority in the next operational programme for EU financing."

The CEO of the Strabag Croatia company, Veljko Nižetić, said that the drilling of the Komorjak Tunnel was one of the most difficult road construction projects in Croatia."
https://www.croatiaweek.com/video-drilling-of-600-metre-long-komorjak-tunnel-complete/

[RaduG]

Translate: Podul Çanakkale 1915 Ridicarea punților rămase a început noaptea Ultimele punți sunt în curs de îndepărtare

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În Polonia, s-au deschis ultimii 4,6 kilometri de S2 (centura Varșoviei), inclusiv Tunelul Ursynow (tunel lung de 2335 de metri sub districtul Ursynów), cel mai lung tunel rutier din țară.





Video facebook.

[survola]

Si la Munchen sunt niște tuneluri pe sub oraș, nu?

[Adrian.TM]

^^
Într-adevăr.
Iar la München, una dintre legăturile dintre piste și aeroportul Franz Josef Strauß traversează căile de ieșire din parcarea aeroportului.