London to New York City by car?
According to a March 23 report in The Siberian Times, Russian Railways president Vladimir Yakunin has proposed a plan for a massive trans-Siberian highway that would link his country's eastern border with the U.S. state of Alaska, crossing a narrow stretch of the Bering Sea that separates Asia and North America.The scheme was unveiled at a meeting of the Moscow-based Russian Academy of Science.Dubbed the Trans-Eurasian Belt Development (TEPR), the project calls for a major roadway to be constructed along side the existing Trans-Siberian Railway, along with a new train network and oil and gas pipelines.
"Are we there yet?"
The road would run across the entirety of Russia, linking with existing road systems in Western Europe and Asia.The distance between Russia's western and eastern borders is roughly 10,000 kilometers.Yakunin said the road would connect Russia with North America via Russia's far eastern Chukotka region, across the Bering Strait and into Alaska's Seward Peninsula.
The road would likely enter Alaska some distance north of the town of Nome, where the famed Iditarod sled dog race ends.
How would drivers span the ocean gap between Siberia and Alaska? Ferry? Tunnel? Bridges? The shortest distance between mainland Russia and mainland Alaska is approximately 88 kilometers (55 miles), according to the Alaska Public Lands Information Centers.
The main route of the Trans-Siberian railway runs from Moscow to Vladivostok and covers 9,258 kilometers.A theoretical drive (as fancifully calculated by CNN) from London to Alaska via Moscow might cover about 12,978 kilometers (8,064 miles).Relatively isolated even by Alaska standards, no road connects Nome with the rest of the state's road system.
About 836 road-less kilometers (520 miles) across desolate terrain separates Nome from the closest major city and road network in Fairbanks, the unofficial northern terminus of the Alaska Highway.
Highway: road
Scheme: system
Pipelines: tubing
Roughly: about
Sled: toboggan Alicia Gardes and Marta Andreu
I want to discuss the idea of building a long road with the purpose of connecting Russia and Alaska. First of all, I think this is a wrong idea because it will have a damaging effect in the enviroment due to the material used to build it. Secondly, it will cost a lot of money that could be used to help the underdeveloped countries. Moreover, the cuestion is if we have enought ways to travel, or haven't we?, I think this project is unnecessary.
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