Here's my ambitious plan to bridge to Bering Strait:
Now a conventional bridge or even a tunnel won't do the trick due to difficult building conditions and ice flows and high winds that would rip the bridge/tunnel apart, not to mention the extraordinarily high building costs.
But, if you were to build a mole, the technical name for a man-made land bridge, the construction would be simpler and cheaper. The materials could simply be dropped off a ship and piled down on the bottom of the ocean.
The only problem is the sheer volume needed to build up a land bridge, as the strait is 2-3 miles deep and 53 miles across, plus maybe a hundred feet wide at the top to allow for the highway, which means the bottom of the pile would be very wide. Now this problem has an easy solution, not readily noticed by most. A majority of the mole could be filled with garbage packed in large containers, not unlike the ones used to store toxic waste to avoid any leaks.
Garbage is one "resource" that mankind is not running short of. Entire landfills could be emptied to construct the bridge, thus a twofold solution, get rid of the world's garbage and bridge the strait. I'm sure many nations would pay to have all their garbage taken away, and its possible the one could make a huge sum of money before the bridge is even finished. I haven't run the numbers yet, but I'm sure the bridge could eat up a high percentage of the world's waste. More like the Bering Strait Landfill than the Bering Strait Bridge, but nevertheless...
Now, the garbage containers could be piled up as the foundation of the mole, then a thin layer of gravel and dirt packed on to form the top. This process would be time consuming, but its simplicity and low cost make up for it.
A highway could then cross the top, for use during nice weather, and several underground tunnels and pipelines for cars, trains, and most importantly, Russian oil. A handful a drawbridges could be contructed in gaps in the mole, so it doesn't impede the movement of ships or wildlife.
The only other problem would be the inevitable complaints of the hippies, most likely concerned with the huge pile of garbage in our ocean, or the possiblity that the mole would disrupt the currents. But I say this bridge would be too important to the USA to worry about that stuff, since this bridge would finally eliminate our dependence on the Middle East for oil.
In conclusion, my idea kicks ass.-- MikeOxbig, Nov 10 2005 I actually agree with you on the energy crisis UnaBubba, but the thing is a majority of the America public doesn't. As you can see the wars in the Middle East over oil are still occuring, whether its the right choice or not. So I say let's build this bridge and deal with the Russians for oil get the hell out of the east, and if it means killing a few species of fish or clams so be it. Its better than human lives being lost.-- MikeOxbig, Nov 10 2005 The bridge that's there does an acceptable job of discouraging fools.-- lurch, Nov 10 2005 [and if it means killing a few species of fish or clams so be it]
"Them's fightin' words around here..."
It's good that you're thinking big. Now extend that thinking to eliminate the flaws in the plan. Remember, "don't fuck with Mother Nature".-- normzone, Nov 10 2005 Hmmm...you guys have some good points. I guess its back to the drawing board then.-- MikeOxbig, Nov 16 2005 Listen to all those hippies. Just as you predicted.
The Bering strait is pretty remote, and this would require cooperating with the Russians to build something. It makes much more sense to test this first in the Straits of Gibraltar. One would have ready access to the vast trash wealth of Europe and Africa. Another place to test this would be the English Channel. If placed atop the Chunnel,it would decrease the risk of catastrophic Chunnel breach, because only trash would leak in.
Not entirely clear about how the bridge would cut dependence on the Middle East for oil,or why this is called a mole. Unless it is because it is made with chocolate a pumpkin seeds.-- bungston, Nov 16 2005 [Bungston], the original plan was to have dozens of pipelines running under the mole, carrying sweet, sweet Russian oil. Though I must admit, the idea for using a bridge to bring the oil cross the Strait isn't my own, I saw it on the Discovery Channel, where they did state it would cut down big time on the need for Middle Eastern oil. Also I have no idea why a man-made land bridge is called a mole, I didn't make it up, I believe its a Middle Age term. But I think I'll take your advice and give the idea the ax, for fear of hippie retribution.-- MikeOxbig, Jan 07 2006 Bering Strait = NW Alaska, NE Russia
Bear Rink's trait= cold, (assuming bears are white and skate for fun.)
Bearing's trait = to wear out (usually at an inopportune time!)
Bearing Straight = steer, dead ahead! (not, dead steer, straight aheat, more likely in Texas)
Bare Ink Stearate = chemical for secret messages.-- csea, Jan 08 2006 Bering Straight: A poker hand consisting of the coldest of cards - 2,3,4,5,6.-- normzone, Jan 08 2006 Baring Straight (non-gay stripping)
Plus, closing off the straight would lead to catastrophic consequences when ocean conveyor is blocked.
Wy not spend billions of dollars to NOT use oil?-- subflower, Jan 08 2006 What about the kids in a few hundreds of years time, who's world is destroyed beccause of all the rubbish tipped into the sea, causing the sea levels to rise, the world to heat up and humanity to retreat underground? You may say "I don't care about them" but you won't be saying that when they come from the future to saying "I hated you am! Now I have killed you am! Die!"
Plus you should be nice to hippies. They are harmless (unless you annoy them, because although they look big and fat, they have massive teeth and can gore you to death before you can say "Excuse me, but what is the correct plural of your name?").-- dbmag9, Jan 09 2006 random, halfbakery