![Strait of Gibraltar 5](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Strait_of_Gibraltar_5.53940W_35.97279N.jpg)
The Strait of Gibraltar crossing is a hypothetical
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
or
tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...
spanning the
Strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medi ...
(about 14 km or 9 miles at its narrowest point) that would connect
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. The governments of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
appointed a joint committee to investigate the feasibility of linking the two continents in 1979, which resulted in the much broader Euromed Transport project.
In January 2021, it was reported that the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
would discuss building the crossing between
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
and
Tangiers
Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the capi ...
.
Bridge
Several engineers have designed bridges on various alignments and with differing structural configurations. A proposal by Professor T.Y. Lin for a crossing between
Point Oliveros and
Point Cires featured deep piers, a length of , towers, and a
span
Span may refer to:
Science, technology and engineering
* Span (unit), the width of a human hand
* Span (engineering), a section between two intermediate supports
* Wingspan, the distance between the wingtips of a bird or aircraft
* Sorbitan ester ...
, more than twice the length of the current longest bridge span. A 2004 proposal by architect
Eugene Tsui
Eugene Tssui ( born Eugene Tsui, September 14, 1954)
Eugene Tsui, ''Evolutionary Architecture: Nature as a Basis for Design'' (John Wiley & Sons, 1999), . is an American architect noted for his use of ecological principles and "biologic" desig ...
was for a floating and submerged bridge connected at a three-mile wide island in the middle of the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
.
Tunnel
Various tunnels have been proposed. Spain first proposed a modern tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar in 1930. A major problem arose when the engineers hired by the Spanish government discovered that the material under the Strait was extremely hard rock, making tunnelling impossible with the available technology. One engineering solution was to fix, using cables, a prefabricated concrete tunnel to the floor of the Strait. This tunnel would handle automotive and train traffic.
A 2008 geological study cast doubt on the tunnel's feasibility. In March 2009, a contract was issued for a joint system linking the Moroccan (SNED) with its Spanish counterpart, (SECEGSA). A three-year study for a
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
tunnel was announced in 2003. SNED and SECEGSA commissioned several seabed surveys.
The Strait depth extends to on the shortest route, although it is only about 300 metres deep slightly further west, in a region known as the
Camarinal Sill
The Camarinal Sill is the sill separating the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. This threshold is the shallowest seafloor pass between the Iberian Peninsula and Africa. It is located approximately 25 km west of the narrowest section of ...
; the European and African
tectonic plates
Plate tectonics (from the la, label=Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of large ...
meet around this area. The shortest crossing is . The proposed route of is west of
Tarifa
Tarifa (, Arabic: طريفة) is a Spanish municipality in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located at the southernmost end of the Iberian Peninsula, it is primarily known as one of the world's most popular destinations for windsports. Tarifa ...
and to the east of
Tangier
Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...
. The tunnel is likely to be about in all. It is proposed that a connection would have to be made to the Spanish high speed railway network, which has a line projected to be built from Cádiz to Málaga via Algeciras.
A report
on the feasibility of the tunnel was presented to the EU in 2009. A further project study is under development by a group of specialist consultants from
SYSTRA
SYSTRA is a multinational engineering and consulting group in the mobility sector, whose fields of activity include rail and public transport. In 2019, it employed a staff of about 7,300 people, and is a limited company which shareholders includ ...
, Amberg and
COWI COWI A/S is an international consulting group, specialising in engineering, environmental science and economics, with headquarters in Lyngby, Denmark.
It has been involved in more than 50,000 projects in 175 countries and has approximately 7,300 em ...
.
Planning
![Strait of Gibraltar perspective](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Strait_of_Gibraltar_perspective.jpg)
The political origins of the project arise from the Common Hispanic-Moroccan Declaration of Fez, of 16 June 1979, and signed by the kings of Spain and Morocco. One consequence of the declaration was the creation in of SECEGSA, the Spanish government-funded corporation whose job is to "study" and "promote" the crossing.
In December 2003, Spain and Morocco agreed to explore the construction of an underwater
rail
Rail or rails may refer to:
Rail transport
*Rail transport and related matters
*Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway
Arts and media Film
* ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini
* ''Rail'' ( ...
tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...
to connect their rail systems. The tunnel would have linked
Cape Malabata
__NOTOC__
Cape Malabata (french: Cap Malabata; es, Punta Malabata; ar, رأس ملباطا, ''Ras Malabata'', or ''Rās al-Manār'', "Lighthouse Cape") is a cape located about east of central Tangier, Morocco, facing the Strait of Gibraltar. Th ...
near
Tangier
Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...
with Punta Paloma in the
El Estrecho Natural Park
El Estrecho (The Strait) Natural Park (Spanish: ''Parque Natural del Estrecho'') is a natural park in Spain, located on the northern side of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Comprising 189.1 square kilometres, it was declared a natural park in 2003. Th ...
west of
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
.
In late 2006,
Lombardi Engineering Ltd Lombardi Engineering Ltd. is a Swiss civil engineering company based in Giubiasco, Bellinzona district. It was established in 1989. It is the successor to "Giovanni Lombardi Ph. D. Consulting Engineers" which was established in 1955 by Giovanni ...
, a
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
engineering and design company, was retained to draft a design for a railway tunnel. According to the company, the main differences between the construction of this tunnel and that of the
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel (french: Tunnel sous la Manche), also known as the Chunnel, is a railway tunnel that connects Folkestone (Kent, England, UK) with Coquelles ( Hauts-de-France, France) beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. ...
, linking
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
, are the depth of the sea and the geological conditions. The area under the Strait is less stable than that under the English Channel. An active major
geologic fault
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...
, the
Azores–Gibraltar Transform Fault
The Azores–Gibraltar Transform Fault (AGFZ), also called a fault zone and a fracture zone, is a major seismic zone in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean between the Azores and the Strait of Gibraltar. It is the product of the complex interaction between ...
, bisects the Strait, and severe earthquakes have occurred in the area. The presence of two deep
Quaternary
The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million years ...
clay channels in the middle of the Strait makes construction complex,
[ causing doubts about the feasibility of the project and proposals for an exploratory tunnel.
No official figures about the cost of the project had been announced by 2007, but previous estimates exceeded €5 billion.]
Technical aspects
The proposed rail tunnel's length is , deep, and its construction would take 15 years. An earlier plan was to link the two continents via the narrowest part of the strait, but this idea was dismissed as the tunnel would be below sea level. For comparison, the currently deepest undersea tunnel, the Norwegian Ryfylke Tunnel
The Ryfylke Tunnel ( no, Ryfylketunnelen) is an undersea road tunnel in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the Norwegian National Road 13 running between Stavanger and Ryfylke (district) under the Horgefjord (part of the Boknafjord). The ...
, is below sea level. A tunnel deeper than Ryfylke is under construction, also in Norway; Rogfast
Rogaland Fixed Link or simply the Rogfast is a project, constructing a sub-sea road tunnel between the municipalities of Randaberg (near the city of Stavanger) and Bokn in Rogaland county, Norway. The tunnel will be called the Boknafjord tunnel ...
will be long and deep, expected to be completed in 2028–29.
The construction of terminals, such as the Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal
The Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal (also known as the Victor Hugo Terminal) is a railway terminal built for the transport of road-going vehicles on specially constructed trains through the Channel Tunnel. The terminal is one of two, with the Euro ...
and Eurotunnel Calais Terminal
The Eurotunnel Calais Terminal (also known as the Charles Dickens Terminal or Coquelles Terminal) is a railway terminal built for the transport of road-going vehicles on specially constructed trains through the Channel Tunnel. The terminal i ...
at either end of the Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel (french: Tunnel sous la Manche), also known as the Chunnel, is a railway tunnel that connects Folkestone (Kent, England, UK) with Coquelles ( Hauts-de-France, France) beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. ...
, might be required for trans-shipment of road vehicles.
See also
* Atlantropa
Atlantropa, also referred to as Panropa, was a gigantic engineering and colonisation idea that was devised by the German architect Herman Sörgel in the 1920s, and promoted by him until his death in 1952. The project was devised to contain seve ...
* Bridge of the Horns
The Bridge of the Horns ( ar, جسر القرن الإفريقي, translit=Jisr al-Qarn al-ʾIfriqiyy, ) is a proposed construction project to build a bridge between the coasts of Djibouti and Yemen, across the Bab-el-Mandeb, between the Red Sea ...
* ''Extreme Engineering
''Extreme Engineering'' is a documentary television series that aired on the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel. The program featured futuristic and ongoing engineering projects. After ending of season 3 it airs under the ''Build It Bi ...
''
* Marmaray
The Marmaray () is a intercontinental commuter rail line in Istanbul, Turkey. A rail tunnel running under the Bosphorus strait was connected to an upgraded version of the old suburban train service (known as the banliyö), allowing trains ...
* Morocco–Spain border
The Morocco–Spain land border consists of three non-contiguous lines totalling 18.5 km (11.5 miles) around the Spanish territories of Ceuta (8 km; 5 miles), Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera (75 metres; 80 yards) and Melilla (10.5 km ...
* Morocco–Spain relations
Morocco and Spain maintain extensive diplomatic, commercial, and military ties. Morocco’s foreign policy has focused on Western partners, including neighboring Spain. They have however, been historically intense and conflictive.
History
Pr ...
* Transport in Morocco
There are around of roads (national, regional and provincial) in Morocco. In addition to of highways (August 2016).
The Tangier–Casablanca high-speed rail link marks the first stage of the ONCF's high-speed rail master plan, pursuant to which ...
* Transport in Spain
* Intercontinental and transoceanic fixed links
A fixed link or fixed crossing is a persistent, unbroken road or rail connection across water that uses some combination of bridges, tunnels, and causeways and does not involve intermittent connections such as drawbridges or ferries. A bridge–tu ...
* Floating cable-stayed bridge
* Cable-stayed suspension bridge
A cable-stayed suspension bridge or CSS bridge merges the designs of cable-stayed bridges and suspension bridges. The suspension bridge's architecture is better at handling the load in the middle of the bridge, while the cable stayed bridge is ...
References
External links
SNED
SECEGSA
Documentario - Il Ponte sullo stretto di Gibilterra Parte 1
Documentario - Il Ponte sullo stretto di Gibilterra Parte 2
Documentario - Il Ponte sullo stretto di Gibilterra Parte 3
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strait Of Gibraltar Crossing
Strait of Gibraltar
Proposed bridges in Europe
Transport in Spain
Transport in Morocco
International tunnels
Railway tunnels in Spain
Proposed transcontinental crossings
Gibraltar Tunnel
Proposed undersea tunnels in Africa
Buildings and structures in Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima
Proposed railway tunnels in Africa
Proposed railway tunnels in Europe
Proposed bridges in Africa
Morocco–Spain border
Morocco–Spain relations