Today marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal by the passage of the SS Ancon. This is arguably the greatest civil engineering feat of the 20th century.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsb...today.html

Arguably, its either the Panama Canal or the Chunnel that is the engineering feat of the 20th Century.

I'd go with the Panama Canal. The terrain and climate made it an almost impossible job. The Chunnel was carved through chalk, which isn't exactly a difficult chore. It's just time consuming. The Panama Canal crew had to deal with inhospitable terrain, an inhospitable climate, and tropical diseases. There's no real comparison there.

(08-15-2014 05:10 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  I'd go with the Panama Canal. The terrain and climate made it an almost impossible job. The Chunnel was carved through chalk, which isn't exactly a difficult chore. It's just time consuming. The Panama Canal crew had to deal with inhospitable terrain, an inhospitable climate, and tropical diseases. There's no real comparison there.

the Panama Canal FTW. The Chunnel, while impressive, was built with modren equipment. The Calebra Cut alone would still be a cast iron b***h to make it wider (and in needs to be) today.

That's true, vandiver. The canal is too small these days. Modern ships are considerably larger than they were a century ago.

Bet today if we started a project like that it wouldn't get off
the ground before it was stopped for some snail darter or
something.

They are expanding it. Adding new wider and longer locks and a new channel in some places (not Culebra) at a cost of more than $5 billion. Currently expected to be finished toward the end of next year.

Nicaragua is also talking about constructing a canal. It would utilize Lake Nicaragua. This was also a route that was under consideration at the time of the construction of the Panama Canal.

One of the best books written about the canal is "Path Between the Seas" by David McCullough. I highly recommend it if you have any interest in the history of the canal.

(08-19-2014 04:02 PM)UofM_Tiger Wrote:  They are expanding it. Adding new wider and longer locks and a new channel in some places (not Culebra) at a cost of more than $5 billion. Currently expected to be finished toward the end of next year.

Nicaragua is also talking about constructing a canal. It would utilize Lake Nicaragua. This was also a route that was under consideration at the time of the construction of the Panama Canal.

One of the best books written about the canal is "Path Between the Seas" by David McCullough. I highly recommend it if you have any interest in the history of the canal.

I have read the book. Interestingly, part the expansion really is about completing the 3rd set of locks that were initially constructed before the start of WWII. But the Culebra Cut will require one way traffic for Panamax sized ships. After dealing with the mosquito, I think craving that ditch out of solid rock is the most impressive aspect of the entire endeavor.

Also a dynamite palindrome.