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Gibraltar bridge
A bridge spanning 9 miles over the Straits of Gibraltar at the entryway
to the Mediterranean would be the longest and tallest ever built. It
would connect cultures of Christianity and Islam and potentially
increase ties between the economies of Europe and Africa.
Gibraltar Bridge
The proposed bridge over the Straits of Gibraltar would allow automobile
traffic between Spain and Morocco.
Stats:
Location: Strait of Gibraltar. Links Spain and Morocco.
Length: 9 miles, Two spans of 4 1/2 miles each
Height: Each tower is 3,000 feet tall. Twice as high as the world s
tallest skyscraper.
Width: 5 traffic lanes, 2 breakdown lanes in each direction
Road Deck Material: Fiberglass
Length of Wire Cables: 1,000,000 miles (Enough to circle the Earth
almost 30 times)
Closest living relative: Akashi bridge in Japan, world s longest
suspension bridge at 12,828 feet.
Cost: $15 billion
Dangers: Wind speeds of 80 mph at tops of towers, ship collision, ocean
currents, traffic, Sahara Desert dust storms.
Withstand ship collisions and high winds.
A bridge the size and configuration of Gibraltar Bridge is usually
protected by artificial islands built around its piers. That way, ships
run aground before they can do any damage to the structure.
But artificial islands are not an option in the middle of the ocean. The
Gibraltar Bridge designers instead envision a ring of underwater bumpers
to withstand ship collisions.
Build in the open ocean.
When determining the exact site of the bridge, designers had to choose
between a shallow area that spanned 20 miles, which would have meant
many piers in a busy shipping zone, and a narrow portion that s 2,700
feet deep.
But the Gibraltar Bridge designers lucked out.
A closer inspection of the narrow portion revealed an underwater
"mountain" in the center that could hold the center piers, dividing the
bridge into two spans of 4 1/2 miles each.
Gibraltar Bridge  if stretched over NYC
Span 9 Miles
The longer the span, the heavier the bridge.
At the length required to span the Strait of Gibraltar
, a suspension bridge that supports the weight of the roadway with
cables spanning from tower to tower would sag and ultimately collapse. A
cable-stay bridge that attaches cables directly to the roadway, would
require unworkably high towers to support the length of the roadway.
Gibraltar Bridge s designers say why not use both techniques?
The Gibraltar Bridge design supports 3 miles of each 4 1/2 mile span
with suspension cables, and the remaining 1 1/2 miles with a cable-stay
technique attaching cables to diagonal struts on either side of each
tower.
Keep the traffic flowing  and safely
Five lanes of traffic in either direction will flow over a roadbed made
of spun glass.
Traffic on Gibraltar Bridge
The Gibraltar Bridge s traffic will flow over a roadbed made of spun
glass. Designers say five lanes in either direction should be enough to
handle the volume of vehicles.
Fiberglass materials of this sort are rated at five times stronger than
concrete, and any cracks or other damage could be isolated due to its
web-like internal structure
Engineers say fiberglass bridge materials can last up to 100 years.
They re also easier to install. A concrete roadway on Gibraltar Bridge
would take 3 months to pour as opposed to a few days or weeks with
fiberglass.
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