AN UNDERSEA tunnel connecting Western Europe and Western Africa could see passengers make the 24-mile journey in minutes.
The Strait of Gibraltar tunnel project stands to link Spain and Morocco, allowing users to drive 300 metres below sea level at its lowest point for an estimated 12.8million people annually.
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It plans to offer a connection across continents, from Punta Paloma, in the south of the Cadiz region in Spain, and Malabata, near Tangier in Morocco.
The ambitious project has been put off since 2009, with the first concept for the design emerging nearly 100 years ago in 1930.
SECEGSA, one of the public companies established in 1980 to carry out the project, says that the tunnel would reduce travel time between Madrid and Casablanca to just five-and-a-half hours.
This is compared to the current two-hour flight duration or the 12-hour, 621-mile car or ferry journey.
If this plan was completed, it would be considered one of the most significant feats of engineering in modern history.
Current technology made the idea feasible again in 2023, and there have been promising advances since then, leading up to its planned 2030 completion.
The 24-mile journey would only see passengers at ground level for a little over 2 miles, or eight per cent of the journey.
The rest of the trip would allow people to experience 17 miles in an underwater tunnel, and six miles in an underground tunnel only.
Each single-track tunnel would have an internal diameter of 7.9metres and the service tunnel would be six metres.
The project would connect three tunnels for the duration of the journey, connected by traverse passages at intervals.
Spanish firm Herrenknecht Iberica has won a £250,000 contract to conduct a drilling feasibility study for the project.
Unlike the tunnel under the Channel between England and France, the Strait of Gibraltar concept has issues with depth, wind speeds during construction, sea currents and tides.
Another main point of concern is the tectonic plates under the area’s surface, where tremors are common.
But this is the first time in decades that the idea is gaining serious momentum.
The original thought of connecting Spain and Morocco through a fixed link dates back to 1979.
This was when King Hassan II and King Juan Carlos I signed a joint declaration of intent to study the possibility of the tunnel.
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Millions of euros were invested throughout the 1980s, but no significant actions were taken.
During the 43rd meeting of the Spanish-Moroccan Committee in April 2023, the two countries agreed on a three-year work plan.
A couple of world events coming up in the next few years are thought to be a reason behind the planning push.
The 2030 completion date coincides with the World Cup, which both countries are hosting along with Portugal.
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