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Just imagine you were travelling to France. You got in your car and drove to the coast somewhere near Dover. No ticket, no booking, no time to be there,(not the at least half an hour but no more than 2 hours before that you get from Eurotunnel). You pull up at the toll box and pay your toll. Then you drive over the bridge and your there. Easy.

One day we look back and wonder why it took so long.

Paul

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It'd be one heck of a Bridge wouldn't it! (and would certainly give the engineers / builders a bit of a glow for having built the longest bridge in the world).

If I understand it correctly, the water at the straits isn't that deep, but the sea bed is moving sand banks, so I don't know how feasible the actually construction is (presumably not at all with current technologies, but I know you are talking "future").

From a drivers point of view I suppose 22 miles of bridge is no different from 22 miles of "normal" motorway, but psychologically I bet it would freak out a lot of people especially in high winds.

 

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The number of supports would be numerous and coupled with the amount of huge tankers that come up the channel would only be a recipe for disaster if one had a collision with a bridge support. There have been several collisions in the past few years in the channel I seem to remember.
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Older posters may remember that at one stage of the debate about whether to build a channel crossing the British government favoured a tunnel whilst the French preferred a bridge (or it may have been the other way round).

Some wag proposed that each should have their own way for half the distance and somebody could bid for the lucrative contract for the escalator connecting the French bridge to the British tunnel.

At the moment planning the comparitively simple lower Thames crossing seems to be an impossible dream - so don't hold your breath.

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[quote]Can the island be big enough for a nice tree lined picnic area?[/quote]

I am so glad you are getting into the spirit of this project.

Perhaps we should start a campaign to ensure that the bridge gains importance by suggesting the island is also used by the European Parliament as a neutral venue.

Lottery funding could be used instead of wasting it on underachieving athletes etc. Also bringing back duty free to assist in subsidising the cost of running the bridge.

Last posting from me, I just smelt the coffee.

 

Paul

 

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I'm not sure that it would need a roof, but sure as heck would need some good wind breaks! However, I hope these could be transparent or retractable, so that on nice days we could see the view! If it were boxed in (like a tunnel on above the sea) I would be disapointed, the longish alpine tunnels are very boring, so an even longer one over (or under) the channel would not appeal to me one bit.

 

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"I shut my eyes tight when negotiating the Pont du Normandie (and I'm the driver!!"

 

I think I may have followed you across the other week!

By the way - have you noticed that the temperature displays at "le pont" always show it one degree cooler on the north side of the bridge? Is it really always cooler or just that the two instruments aren't properly calibrated?

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There is a lovely story about Jim Clark and Graham Hill discussing a particular hill at the old Nurburgring, where cars used to take off for about 50 yards. "I must confess," said Graham, "that I always take that one with one eye closed."

"What?" said Jimmy, "you take it with one eye OPEN?"
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And it was I think seriously considered at one point. I remember reading about it. The idea (I think) was there was to be a short tunnel out to a stopoff point a mile or two out, then a sequence of bridges.

Anyhow they've done it in Scandinavia, the Knudshoved/Halskov and Copenhagen/Malmo bridges must be fairly long.

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WE could make the island big enough to assist the police with operation"Stack". This would obviously be a justified expense as our French cousins go on strike so much it would free up the motorways and Dover/Folkstone.
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Isn't there a bridge in New Orleans that links to the North Shore that is over 25 miles and all built as a bridge (no tunnel). The people that live there and commute to New Orleans are called Bridge people. By the way there isn't even a toll charge to drive across!
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That bridge is across Lake Pontchartrain (sp?) driven over it a few times. Weather is usually calm there, worst problem is fog. Nice drive but then you are only a few feet above the water, I dont think large boat go by it, cant remember any high passes. Even ten feet above the Channel would be too close most of the time.

Bob
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