In the middle of the XIX century steamboats transported across the Channel 350 000 passengers , with a single " continental " European accounted for three Brit . French engineer Thomae de Gamon was convinced that his tunnel will increase ridership doubled - mainly due to the influx of tourists from mainland Europe , many of whom do not like to travel by water due to seasickness.Underground CavalryThe idea of establishing a land connection between the continent and the British Isles was born in the middle of the XVIII century, when Amiens University announced a competition to design a compound of two states. The first real tunnel project dates back to 1802 . Albert Mathieu developed it . Frenchman offered at a depth of about 10 meters from the bottom of the Strait pave tunnel for traffic horse-drawn carriages , light it with oil lamps , and use special ventilation shafts that were to rise by five meters above the water surface . It is known that Napoleon was familiar with the project Mathieu. Interested in whether he keeps his history - opposite information. According to one version , the tunnel seemed to Napoleon crazy idea. On another, he personally offered their country to join the British underground road .
At its widest point the Channel island continent and share 240 km of water surface , but between Dover and Calais distance is reduced to 34 km . This place has always attracted the best swimmers , creators of new types of aircraft ... When choosing between projects or bridges and tunnels take into account this historical component : to save the "spirit" of the place , the tunnel was preferable
Metro InternationalWith the rapid development of the railway network in England to replace the horse versions came rail tunnel . The main guardian of such projects was in the XIX century, the French mining engineer Thomae de Gamon . It is known that the French are so fanatically wanted to link the mainland with the island , which has spent more than 30 years in the careful study of seven alternative projects . Among them was such an extravagant version of the compound as a giant bridge, relying on the bulk of the island. In 1860, a new tunnel project approved Gamon de Napoleon III and Queen Victoria , but the dream has not come true Frenchman - before the construction is not reached.One of the projects Thomae de Gamon - main building enthusiast land link between France and Britain in the XIX century . The project was approved , but before the construction of the case never cameIn the 1870s, relations between the French and the British have warmed dramatically . After the defeat in the Franco - Prussian War French offered to British rally resistance to the new strong enemy - the German Kaiser . Neighbors began to develop again the tunnel project .Experts agree that the tunnel across the Channel could be built 100 years ago . Even then, it was technically possible , just would have more time and human resources
Engineers of the Victorian era made great strides in the construction of tunnels . In 1843, they were the world's first paved excavating shield tunnel under the Thames , and then gained extensive experience in this area during the construction of the world's first London Underground . So technically laying tunnel under the English Channel did not represent much of a problem . In 1881, towards each other were put two tunneling shield the company «Beaumont & English» - the most powerful and technologically advanced at the time. During the first year , both sides dug about 2 kilometers : it was expected that underground workers meeting happen in five years. However, in 1883, laying the tunnel under the English Channel stopped . British politicians and journalists are increasingly made statements that the tunnel would be the perfect gift for their potential enemy - in the case of a conflict the French easily be able to attack Britain through the tunnel . Until World War II all the projects tunnels or bridges across the Channel met stiff resistance from the British government. Related to the project changed only in the mid -1950s .
Not so scary tunnel ...When World War II ended , it became apparent that with the advent of new types of weapons and transport tunnel is no longer a real threat to the UK 's defense capability . About this UK Ministry of Defence announced publicly in 1955. Commodity exchange between the island and the continent , meanwhile, has been steadily increasing . So the summer of 1957 was formed the Anglo-French research group , which should determine whether to bind the two countries and, if so , in what way . By the early 1960s competed two alternatives - the tunnel project and the bridge project . According to the first draft , it was supposed to lay under the bottom of the Strait railway tunnel complex , consisting of two branches and service workers between them. This project was a giant bridge design competition , warmly supported by the leaders of metallurgical concerns . Eventually defeated underground project , but the process was delayed its approval . Once in 1974, began laying the tunnel, problems with financing . A year later, the project was suspended .Again returned to the subject of the tunnel until 1984 , when the two governments announced an open tender for a project that would connect the UK with France. In autumn 1985 four independent groups of developers offered their options.Most extravagant project was Europont - 52 - kilometer bridge spans , suspended on Kevlar threads. Project rather quickly rejected as too expensive and based on yet untested technology. Another project - Euro route - offers sophisticated system of bridges and tunnels with reference points on a specially constructed artificial islands .
Option Euro Route considered the main competitor of the winning project. According to him it was planned to dig through the Strait railway tunnel , and to traffic use two bridges and a 21- kilometer tunnel . For entry into avtotonnel from the bridge in the strait had to build two artificial islands, and the ventilation shaft for a thirdChannel Expressway project was a two-level tunnel with rail and road links . Both these projects prefer Euro tunnel - the cheapest and most simple in construction alternative , which was based on the concept of tunnel 1970s . According to preliminary calculations developers Euro tunnel project was estimated at 5 billion pounds.However, this amount seemed too high for the government of the two European countries : in January 1986, Margaret Thatcher and François Mitterrand jointly announced that the project as too expensive undertaking to spend taxpayers' money on it .
Rails against the motorwayCompany cars in the service tunnel. Vehicles carrying tourists on railway platformsProject Channel Expressway project Eurotunnel lost not only due to higher costs . It was decided that driving a car on a 50-kilometer tunnel will require drivers great physical and mental stress , which can lead to stress and accidents. In addition, more effective solutions demanded question purification of exhaust gases from the tunnel . The most preferred embodiment of recognized vehicle transport trains on platforms .But such a statement does not mean that the project is delayed again . The way out was found. Decided to organize a public company «Eurotunnel», the initial capital of which were to provide developers with the support of private banks ( without government support ) . Newly formed company had to find their own money to build a tunnel - including through the sale of its shares. In gratitude, she received the right for 55 years to manage the construction . At the end of this period, the tunnel in working order shall be transmitted to Governments of France and the UK.
Modern HistoryThree tunnels connect the continent and the island . Airlock connecting tunnels, eliminates piston effect in the movement of trainsThe further fate of the tunnel across the Channel is well known. December 15, 1987 earned the first tunneling shield - he was digging service tunnel diameter of 4.8 m is then connected to the case more powerful tunneling machines that paved the two main tunnel with a diameter of 7.6 m each. Total deep tunnel almost without interruption worked 11 boards simultaneously. Three French and three British shield moving towards each other under the bottom of the Channel. Another three tunneling inland towards the British terminal , and two - three tunnels drilled in the side of the French terminal. Directly on the bottom of the sea 39 km tunnel dug , and its total length is 51 km .The entrances to the tunnel located at a distance of 3.7 km from the Strait on the French coast and 9.8 km - on Russian territory. Maximum height of the layer of water above the tunnel at high tide is 60 mTo both ends meet in one location, the laser positioning system is used . Thanks to her work from Britain and France met at the target point on 1 December 1990 at a depth of 40 m from the bottom of the strait. Tolerance was only 358 mm horizontally and 58 mm vertically . By the way, the last meters of the British and French tunnel drillers done manually - using picks and shovels.
Breakthrough! December 1, 1990
Euro tunnel was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II and Francois Mitterrand May 6, 1994. One of the many projects of mankind was able to realize in just seven years. In its creation was attended by 13 thousand workers and engineers on construction took about 10 billion pounds (adjusted for inflation nearly twice as much as originally expected). Dream Thomae de Gamon and hundreds of other guardians of the project finally came!
The longest tunnelToday, the longest tunnel in the world is the Japanese Seikan railway tunnel connecting the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. Its length - 53.9 km . Euro tunnel inferior to him in total length , but its underwater section ( about 39 km ) to 15 km long undersea section of Japanese tunnel.In 2015, the new leader promises to be a railway Gotthard Base Tunnel, which is now under construction in Switzerland. The tunnel will be 57 km .Grand project of the twentieth century until proven itself in financial terms : only in April 2008, the company «Euro tunnel» for the first time announced the existence of annual profits. Long unborn child , it seems, was also a bankable long bridge across the Channel ...Wrote the magazine " Science and Life" about the next project of the bridge across the Channel in the number 1 for 1890 .Present age without exaggeration be called the century of huge structures , one of which was , and Eiffel Tower at the Paris Exposition . Now preparing a new , even more ambitious and important building - the bridge across the Strait English Channel , which separates France from England. This bridge will have a length of 28 kilometers ( almost as many miles ) .Question about connecting England and France as a bridge or tunnel originated long ago. In 1873 he was seriously raised the question of the tunnel under the English Channel . Carried out all the necessary research ; feasibility of the enterprise has been fully proved ; its profitability for both countries was unquestionable ; were capitalists give money to conduct business. Undersea tunnel project , however, failed because of political considerations . Since ground forces are negligible England , then it was feared that the tunnel to England can be made landing troops. Now there was a project to connect England and France is not under water, and the bridge over the water through unprecedented magnitude.
In England, amounted to a huge capital company «Channel Bridge». For the technical side of things come from two famous English engineer John Fowler (Fowler) and Benjamin Becker (Baker) and two famous French: Mr. Schneider and Mr. Gersau (Hersent), managing one of the most extensive in the world of mechanical plants in Le Creusot. These four engineers have made all the necessary research and has developed a detailed design of the bridge across the English Channel.
Bridge expected to build on the narrowest point of the strait between Gris-Nez (from France) and Foxton (from England). The distance between these two points in a straight line at least 28 kilometers; but the bridge will do a little rounding to use the two existing sandbars (banks and Varna Final Kolbarskaya). In these shallows sea depth only 6-7 meters, which will greatly reduce the cost of construction of foundations, towers. The greatest depth of the sea in this area is 55 meters (27 yards) at low tide.
Thus, you need to: 1) build the foundations (we will call them towers because of the extraordinary size) in deep water; 2) raise the bridge itself is enough to pass beneath the largest seagoing vessels. According to the preliminary draft (Arant-Projet), builders achieve this think so.
Towers (foundations) are granite bridge with steel fastenings. The magnitude of these towers can make the concept for the very reason that the largest of them (at a depth of 55 meters) will have a base area in 1604 square meters. Everywhere will be used only steel because of its strength. To build towers require 76,000 tons of steel and 4,000,000 cubic meters of granite. For topside of the bridge, in addition, take another 772,000 tons of steel. The total construction cost is calculated at 860 million francs, but can reach and billion.
Build towers made using iron caissons of granite blocks held together by steel and cement relationships. Masonry rises above the water surface of 21 meters at low tide and 14 meters at high tide (the level of the Channel varies by 7 meters). Consequently, at a depth of 55 meters stonework will have 76 meters high, and assuming that the clutch starts right on the seabed.
On stone towers on each will rise by two steel towers. The latter will be secured huge steel beams and have a height of 40 meters. Rails also lie above another 11 meters, so that the train will go at a height of 72 meters (about 35 1/2 fathoms) from the sea surface (at low tide). But the steel cover is above the level of the rails for another 54 meters. Thus, the main tower, delivered at a depth of 55 meters, will have a total height of 181 meters (90 blacks.), Including 76 meters of masonry. Bridge spans on the deep places will turn 500 and 300 meters; on the smaller 350 and 200 meters, and turn; Finally, off the coast spans will rotate 250-100 meters. Spans 500 meters (half a mile) - it is more difficult Eiffel Tower. But technology in recent years has made such giant strides that the feasibility of this ambitious project, and certainly quite possible.
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