The Craziest Megalomaniac Engineering Project Since the Pyramids Is In England

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This is the Thames Hub airport, part of an 80 billion dollar project that would include a railway terminal connecting to England and Europe through high speed trains, huge depots and a port. Total cost: $80 billion.

This thing is crazy. It aims to be a central hub for absolutely everything, with multi-level underground railroads and highways that will connect it with London, the rest of Britain and to Europe through the Channel Tunnel. It will also include a new Thames Barrier that will extend the protection of riverside lands against floods, further expanding the surface available for construction. Designed by Foster and Partners in cooperation with British planners, builders and economists, I don't know if this should be considered a glorious idea or the megalomaniac dream of a comic book villain.

Foster says that the United Kingdom needs "to recapture the foresight and political courage of our 19th-century forebears if we are to establish a modern transport and energy infrastructure in Britain for this century and beyond." Perhaps they should invade India again too. Foster claims that it could be done, just like they "were able to build a major new international airport and all the associated infrastructure including a new island reclaimed from the sea within four years" in Hong Kong.

Maybe he is right. It all just seems a bit too crazy for me. All I know is that I love to look at cross sections of giganormous engineering works. Enjoy.

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2011/11/estuary_airport_section_credit_foster___partners.jpg
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2011/11/highspeedrail_section_credit_foster___partners.jpg
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2011/11/integrated_thames_barrier_credit_foster___partners.jpg
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http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2011/11/p06770_fp439165.jpg

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