Bering Strait Crossing (highway, economic, financial, education)

[e2ksj3]

I thought this would be an interesting topic with all the talk of Russia, Alaska, and energy in the debates. Do you think a crossing (either a bridge or tunnel) which would link the Americas and Europe and Asia would be a good idea?

I personally think it would be a good long term project, but I don't think it would be a good idea right now, with tensions with Russia over Georgia and with the whole financial crunch effecting everyone. It would definitely be good for trade. We could transport not only large goods, but also run like oil and natural gas lines along the crossing.

[ogre]

But would it be feasible? I don't know a lot about this, but did once see a show on one of the educational television channels about this very idea. According to that show, it would be an engineering nightmare to construct a bridge across this stretch of water, because of the effects of heaving ice on any structure in the water.

[GloryB]

I'm not sure Russia would want a direct USA land link. It is a really interesting conversation though. I look forward to reading future responses.

[mommytotwo]

Why bother?

Who would use it?

How many ppl from the other 49 states go to alaska? Why would the Russians want to enter the US from there? and how many Alaskans want to go to that area of Russia?

Is there some benefit for trade that I am not aware of? Just wondering.

I am just not sure what the point of it would be.

I too look forward to future responses to this.

[SuSuSushi]

Well, considering that both the Russian end and the American end of it would be in utterly remote areas with consistently harsh weather, I'd say this would be a gigantic waste of money.

Who would bother to use it?

[elvislives]

I have always envisioned the strait freezing over and being the first person in history to drive to Paris..With proper funding could it be done?

[SuSuSushi]

Originally Posted by elvislives

I have always envisioned the strait freezing over and being the first person in history to drive to Paris..With proper funding could it be done?

Too late, it's already been done.

[Frankie117]

I'd rather see a rail line build across the Bering Strait instead of roadway (both?). We could ride a train all the way to Europe and Asia. It would be a great way to improve international commerce, and being able to drive to anywhere on the planet (except Antarctica and Australia of course). If we could get freight trains rolling over it, we could greatly reduce fuel consumption by large inefficient ships. Imagine that, a global freight rail network!

The only problem is that both areas in Russia and Alaska are extremely remote, and undeveloped.

[elvislives]

Originally Posted by SuSuSushi

Too late, it's already been done.

It's never been done... the last stunt of it's kind was driving to the tip of south america. But nobody has drove from america to paris yet but i think if the conditions were right and the proper sponsers secured it could be done...

[Redisca]

Such a bridge would a prestige project with zero economic sense -- at least in the foreseeable future. Both sides of the Bering Strait are very sparsely populated, separated from major cities by thousands of miles of uncrossable terrain. North-western Alaska is a muskeg during the summer (it looks like a slice of Swiss cheese from above ground), a frozen wasteland in the winter. Building thousands of miles of roads and service facilities to link Wales with the rest of the world -- and then maintaining them -- is simply cost-prohibitive. Ditto with the Russian side. Look at the map. The distance between the Bering Strait and the nearest major cities, even in Siberia, is mind-bendingly great, and the climate is one of the coldest and severest in the world. It took Russia decades to complete the Trans-Siberian railroad even with slave labor, and I just can't see it laying and servicing all those highways.

The Bering Strait itself is one of the hairiest places in the world, weather-wise. Constantly shifting ice and hurricane-force frigid winds would require the kind of engineering and construction that would push the upper limit of today's technological know-how, with supports that can withstand non-stop pounding by ice sheets and roadway materials that can accommodate extreme temperature swings. Maintenance would be no piece of cake either. The bridge would probably have to have some sort of a wind-resistant enclosure to allow vehicles to pass at high speeds without the danger of being blown off the roadway. Allowing private cars to use the bridge would create a whole host of additional complications.

In short, this is still in the realm of wishful thinking. There is simply no economic incentive: shipping merchandise and people via alternative routes is much, much cheaper and safer, and unless conditions change drastically, I don't see either country seriously considering such a project.