TOP 15 Most Impressive Megaprojects

whether to improve the lives of citizens or simply to push the boundaries of what's possible for thousands of years there have always been a number of huge construction projects taking place somewhere around the world as technologies improve it's now happening more often than ever here are 15 amazing mega projects currently under construction number 15. chuoshin kensen japan japan is known for having the world's fastest and most reliable train network but not wants to rest on their laurels they're currently embarking on a massive project to build a further 178 miles of track and an estimated cost of 85 billion dollars that's almost a half a billion dollars for every mile of course this is no ordinary rail line and is a new stretch of the maglev system that will initially connect tokyo with nagoya and then for the next stage continue to osaka allowing trains to travel at up to 311 miles an hour it'll slash the current transport time and will take just 40 minutes to cover the initial 178 miles amazingly more than 90 percent of this first stage will be made up of tunnels under the japanese alps which is why it has such a huge construction cost the line known as the chuo shinkansen is seen as the culmination of japan's development of maglev trains that began in the early 1970s it'll run the latest model of train called the l0 series that currently holds the world record for the fastest manned train for the trains to travel this fast the track has to be incredibly smooth and straight with a minimum curve radius of 26 000 feet and at most an inclination of 1 in 25 after construction began in 2014 the first stage is expected to be complete and open for the first commercial services in 2027 with the second phase plan to open by 2037. when it does it'll easily be the fastest train service in the world and be sure to keep japan ahead of the rest for decades to come number 14 moe's venice people first began living in the region that's now venice around 3 000 years ago and it's since become one of the cultural centers of the world built on a group of 118 small islands within the venetian lagoon that are connected by canals and more than 400 bridges it's one of the most beautiful and unusual cities on the planet in recent years however as a result of aging infrastructure the city has begun to face a serious problem it's slowly sinking this combined with rising sea levels means that venice faces the threat of flooding like never before and while there are records of citizens taking action to avoid floods more than 600 years ago something more drastic is now needed in 2003 it was decided that to solve the problem once and for all the mohs project would be built it consists of a series of 78 mobile gates in strategic places at alido malamoko and chiojia inlets that will be able to rise and temporarily prevent tidal surges entering the venetian lagoon from the adriatic sea when it's complete the system should in theory be able to protect the city from tidal surges of up to almost 10 feet construction began in 2003 and it was first successfully demonstrated in july of 2020 after originally being planned to be finished by 2011 then 2018 it's now hoped that moe's will be fully operational by the end of 2021 at a total estimated cost of 6.7 billion dollars number 13 high-speed railway california the californian high-speed railway is one of the most controversial mega projects in u.s history not because of what it's aiming to achieve but because of the escalating costs and mismanagement that's taken place since the project was approved the idea is that it will connect anaheim with union station in central l.a and the transit center in san francisco and allow passengers to travel 380 miles in just 2 hours and 40 minutes with the dedicated track that trains will be able to speed up to 220 miles an hour in some sections and will be the first time there's been a direct railroad between the cities since 1971. when the project was first authorized in 2008 the projected costs amounted to around 33 billion dollars with a completion date set for 2028 things haven't entirely gone to plan however construction began in 2015 but as a result of delays the current estimated cost is 98 billion dollars and the full route isn't expected to be open to passengers until at least 2033 as things stand the 24 station rail line is still being built but with concerns for any future cost rises there are now mounting calls for it to be cancelled and for alternatives to be looked at instead number 12 great garuda jakarta indonesia jakarta which is the capital city of indonesia is one of the most populated urban areas in the world with more than 10 million residents in the city itself with a further 23 million people living in the wider metro area this is proving to be somewhat of a problem because of where it's located on a flat coastal basin that's around 23 feet above sea level and several regions that are below the natural water level this means that particularly during monsoon season the city is prone to extreme flooding in 2007 a storm caused terrible flooding that killed 76 people and displaced half a million the problems aren't purely natural either because the city has also been found to be sinking at a rate of around three or four inches per year simply because of the weight of the skyscrapers and other structures that are being built there it was therefore decided that to solve a problem caused by engineering would require some radical engineering of its own this led to the creation of the great garuda project with construction beginning in 2014 it's essentially a huge sea wall around the coast along with a water reservoir and land reclamation project at an estimated cost of 40 billion dollars the 20 to 25 mile long wall will actually be so big that it will create a new 4 000 hectare space that'll be filled with a new airport harbor residential area and industrial complex this waterfront city will also involve the construction of 17 artificial islands and provide space for a further 2 million inhabitants it is an incredible feat of engineering and ingenuity and it's expected to be finished by the mid to late 2020s it isn't without controversy however but when the alternative is remaining subject to unpredictable storms the vast majority of indonesians are fully in favor of it number 11 the 30 meter telescope hawaii as our observation and understanding of the universe increases scientists require even more powerful and sensitive equipment to allow them to see further and clearer than ever before this involves a combination of space telescopes and those on earth there are very few places where the atmosphere is suitable enough to look out into the night sky a collaboration between research facilities around the world has set up an organization called the tmt international observatory and they are currently in the process of constructing a 30 meter telescope which will be the largest of its kind on the planet and allows scientists to observe wavelengths between near ultraviolet and mid infrared it will significantly expand our sky gazing capabilities and while construction began in 2014 it's still possible that it'll never be completed that's because the location chosen for the new observatory is mount mauna kea in hawaii from a scientific perspective it's ideal it's at altitude the atmosphere is perfect and there's very little light pollution nearby but in making the decision they overlooked one major element the mountain is one of the most sacred places in native american culture this has led to a series of protests against the telescope's construction which have led to serious delays while the authorities keep insisting that work will resume and it'll be completed within a matter of years you can't help but wonder if this mega project should have ever been started in the first place number 10 the great man-made river project libya covered in large swaths of sand and desert libya was once one of the more inhospitable countries in africa while his former leader muammar gaddafi was a tyrant who was involved in countless human rights abuses and the support of international terrorism he arguably did one good thing for the country what is known as the great man-made river project prospectors who were looking for oil in the 1950s accidentally came across a resource that's arguably much more valuable to the residents of libya a huge ancient underground source of water plans for the gmrp began in the 1960s with the idea of transporting this water around the country to support farms and communities and the first of five stages began construction in 1984. it's the longest running mega project of current times and while it's been held up by political difficulties in the country the main reason for this is simply the sheer scope of what's being done so far there are more than 750 miles of underground pipes and 1300 wells and the network is responsible for providing 1.7 billion gallons of fresh water each day to the main cities various rural areas in the country it's a project that has an estimated cost of 25 billion dollars which is reportedly a quarter of the cost of building equivalent capacity desalination plants would involve and once the fifth stage is completed it'll be by far the largest connected network of pipes and aqueducts in the world number nine jubal 2 saudi arabia the saudi arabian city of jubal is located on the arabian gulf coast and was the location of a huge infrastructure project that has resulted in the development of the largest industrial city in the world authorities weren't finished by achieving that feat however and have now embarked on a further 80 billion dollars for the so-called jubal 2 which is a further extension to the city the project involves building 530 miles of roads 60 bridges and by 2026 a further 50 000 residential units for workers huge expenses being put into installing water systems and utilities to provide for the homes and the industrial buildings when completed we'll see the industrial city more than double in size the sheer scale of this project is almost unbelievable and the most surprising thing is that the price is simply for the basic infrastructure the government won't be building the factories or facilities themselves and are instead simply creating a well-supplied location with the hope that private companies will decide to invest and build their own structures there if it were anywhere else in the world it would be seen as crazy to develop this larger region in one go but since trubail has already proven to be a success it's more than likely that jubal 2 will be as well we are constantly adding more people to the top fives production team to bring you all the best content be sure to subscribe with notifications on and hit the like button number eight ubs arena new york the past few years have seen a number of mega project stadiums opening around the world and particularly in the us after the events of 2020 there aren't many plans by teams to take on such huge financial commitments but there is still one in process of construction the ubs arena in new york with an estimated cost of one and a half billion dollars it will become the new home of the new york islanders nhl team built on a plot next to the belmont park racetrack the up to 19 000 capacity venue will be a mixed use complex for hockey games and concerts but will also feature a 350 000 square foot retail and entertainment village a 250 room hotel and 10 000 square feet of office space it will be at the forefront of arena design with the largest scoreboard in new york 5g and wi-fi connection designed to accommodate large crowds theatrical lighting an ice video projection system and the latest design audio system the hope is that the venue will bring added investment to the area and will become a world famous facility in its own right incredibly after beginning construction in 2019 and having to temporarily pause work in 2020 it's still expected to be complete in time for the beginning of the hockey season in 2021 number seven crossrail london london is home to the world's oldest underground railway system and as anyone has traveled on it knows it shows while the trains may be nowhere the network often runs at full capacity and with increasing numbers of residents and visitors to the city a long overdue expansion is currently being built it's known as crossrail and will ultimately connect 41 stations from heathrow airport in the west to stations far out on the east side of the city it'll be called the elizabeth line after the queen and it's hoped that the new connection will not only provide easier routes for residents served by the stations but will also alleviate pressure from other lines to make them operate more efficiently too as with many mega projects however crossrail hasn't exactly kept a schedule or cost work began on the 13 miles of twin board tunnels in 2009 and was originally meant to be finished by 2018 at a cost of around 16 billion dollars recent visitors to the city will know it hasn't opened yet and it's now expected to be only finished by 2022 at a now estimated cost of 26 billion dollars number six south north water transfer project china as such a vast country chinese residents face varying challenges depending on where they live in the south for example there's far more available water than in the north and this is severely limited how much food can be grown and how many people can be supported in northern regions to overcome this problem it was decided that the country would embark upon one of the biggest engineering projects in human history what's known as the south north water transfer project the idea behind it is simple the project will transport 44 billion cubic meters of water from the yangtze river in southern china to the drier regions in the north but of course this isn't as easy as it sounds to do this requires the construction of three canal networks which are expectedly called the eastern route the central route and the western route more than a third of a million people throughout the country have had to be relocated to make way for the new canals and so far more than 79 billion dollars have been spent on the project more than 1500 miles of canals have been built and while the central section is complete the eastern route is still under construction and the western route is still in the planning stages because of the risk of diverting water from other communities number five klang valley rapid mass transport project malaysia the clang valley rapid mass transport project is the latest in a long line of schemes to connect the malaysian city of kuala lumpur with the wider area around it with an estimated cost of 50 billion dollars the original idea was for a three-line rapid mass transit system that involves a circle line looping around the city itself with two radial lines that intersect it when fully complete it's hoped that the new lines will dramatically reduce congestion throughout the region and connect it together to form a huge megopolis that's referred to as greater kuala lumpur the first radial line the kajang line opened in 2016 at which point attention focused on building the second things have generally gone to plan and after five years of construction it's expected to offer services on the core of the route in 2021 and should be fully operational the following year by that time there will be a total of 64 miles of new track and 66 new stations but for the moment the original plan of the circle loop line has been put on hold as of 2018 it was deemed too expensive and unlikely to solve the problems it was designed to alleviate but there are still plans to revisit the idea once the second line is complete so the full vision may still one day become a reality [Music] number four the jetta tower the burj khalifa is currently the tallest building in the world but it may not be long until it loses its crown because an even bigger one is currently being built in jeddah saudi arabia known as the jetta tower the intent is for it to be the first in the world that's taller than one kilometer or 3281 feet and it'll be the centerpiece of a wider development of the city construction on the tower began in 2013 and with an estimated cost of 1.2 billion dollars everything was going to plan until 2018. at the time when it was about a third complete labor issues forced works to be put on hold and while they were planned to resume in 2020 it was deemed too risky to encourage large number of workers to enter the country the structure seems to be indefinitely paused but it's hoped that one day construction will resume if it does the completed structure will be one of the most advanced buildings on earth new technologies have had to be designed specifically for the tower such as high-speed elevators air circulation systems and mechanisms to prevent it from swaying too much because it's so tall no elevator will go from ground floor to the top and instead people will have to transfer in dedicated sky lounges it will also be home to the highest observation deck in the world at a height of 2000 feet and this will have high speed elevators for guests that travel at 22 miles an hour in either direction number three the baihatan dam china in 2012 the three gorgeous dam in china became the largest hydroelectric facility in the world and the country is now building a new one that will take second place on the list known as the baitan dam it's being constructed on the jinsha river in southwest china planned to cost around six billion dollars work began in 2017 and it's expected to enter operation by 2022 when complete the dam will be 909 feet tall 43 feet wide at the top and 236 feet wide at the base the reservoir that forms behind it will hold up to 18 million cubic meters of water in it this will channel through 16 turbines each of which will have a maximum output of a thousand megawatts which will mean that the dam's total production is expected to be around 16 000 megawatts with a regular flow of water unlike the three gorges dam the baihatan dam should produce more than 60 terawatt hours each year which will have a significant impact on the surrounding cities that it will supply number two the palmere scottsdale usa the demand for secure residential estates full of luxurious homes facilities and security is increasing and to satisfy that demand there's a huge project underway in scottsdale arizona known as the palmere it's a two billion dollar development that will see the creation of a luxury shopping resort upscale offices a ritz-carlton hotel and 81 residential units all the buildings on site will have ionized air throughout to ensure it's clean of all airborne germs and everything operates on a touchless system meaning that all the entry points means of transport and interactions will be controlled remotely it'll also be home to the longest resort pool in north america but living there won't be cheap condo style homes begin at 1.6 million dollars while family size units have a starting price of 5 million dollars the first phase of the project is expected to be complete by 2021 and the second phase should be finished by 2022 so at least there's some time left to try to raise the funds number one new cairo capital egypt cairo in egypt is one of the most famous ancient cities on earth having been the capital city of the country for thousands of years it's a place steeped in history but that isn't necessarily suitable for it to becoming a commercial hub in the modern world so rather than replacing the variety of monuments the decision has instead been made to build an entirely new administrative capital around 28 miles to the east of cairo it will be the new administrative and financial capital of the country and where government departments embassies and a range of other company headquarters will be based at a cost of 45 billion dollars it will be a smart city with the latest technologies incorporated into every aspect of life it's thought that it'll soon have a population of between six and seven million people that will feature a central park several artificial lakes at least 2 000 schools and colleges 663 hospitals and clinics and 1250 mosques will also be a theme park that's planned to be four times bigger than disneyland a new airport several solar energy farms and a 90 000 seat soccer stadium it's hoped that the city will be virtually finished by the end of 2022 but some of the government departments have already moved into their new locations by doing this the intent is that congestion in old cairo will be significantly reduced so it can welcome larger number of tourists and new cairo will become a destination in its own right too watch our future playlist for more top 15 videos about the future sit back relax and binge watch all of our best future related videos

Channel: Top Fives

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Keywords: Most Impressive Megaprojects

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Length: 20min 30sec (1230 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 12 2021