Transcontinental Superhighway

[The Amazing Avian]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/24/travel/trans-siberian-road/?sr=fb032615russiasuperhighway2aStoryLink

 

Apparently Russia is proposing a superhighway that goes from London through Russia, to New York. Seems pretty cool. 

 

So yeah, discuss.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

That would be...expensive. But if it happened....it would be so cool. I love love love the idea of connecting the world as much as possible.

[Tentacruel]

So, in New York you would be driving on the right side of the road, but in London you drive on the left.

 

How would that work? 

[Simping For Hina]

So, in New York you would be driving on the right side of the road, but in London you drive on the left.

 

How would that work? 

Because our right is their left? Is that correct, right?

[Rodrigo]

A road trip in this superhighway would be fucking awesome.

[Cierfrost]

The idea has been in a state of perpetual proposal since as long as suspension bridges have been a thing. 

 

While the idea is cool, something on that scale would require billions, maybe even trillions of dollars a year in upkeep.

Round the clock maintenance and likely would start to affect global currents both land, air and sea. Its already quite a 

task for ISP's to have transoceanic lines and constant (and I do mean CONSTANT) repairs. Imagine the workload a

transcontinental superhighway would cause, create and probably destroy. All of this doesn't account for the rampant logistics

involved with crimes on the highway and who's jurisdiction it belongs to as well as how to handle the inevitable criminals.

 

It's neat but functionally dangerous in my honest opinion. Too dangerous to ever go through with. Let it stay in the proposal state.

 

EDIT: Tenta, just use transitional top and bottom lanes. Sort of a X formation with one tucked under and one tucked over and 

disallow merging from inside the lane. Thats how they do it some countries iirc.

[Tentacruel]

Okay I looked at google maps and half of this thing would be driving over bumfuck nowhere.  Nothing but ice.

 

With current technology I say nay. 

[Tinkerer]

I think I would rather flying cars were a thing instead...

I also think the constant sight of water would fill one's bladder at a more rapid pace than normal...

[Rodrigo]

I mean it's obvious that planes are way much more effective and practical, but let's be honest here

 

Who wouldn't want to have a road trip from New York to London?

[Cierfrost]

Okay I looked at google maps and half of this thing would be driving over bumf*** nowhere.  Nothing but ice.

 

With current technology I say nay. 

 

Ice Sheets might actually be beneficial, I'd reckon we could do something to it to make it have similar properties to plastic or maybe a balloon.

That in turn would alleviate a substantial portion of the suspension process and reduce costs. However, this brings up additional ecosystem problems.

[Raine]

Half of this highway is in Siberia, outer Mongolia, Alaska, and inner Canada. This is the worst idea since Kansas. 

BTW, this isn't a new idea. That highway has been in talks for decades.

[.Rooster]

It would be way too expensive and unnecessary to make a transcontinental highway. It would be a better idea to focus on things that would actually matter.

[cr47t]

This probably wouldnt work seeing that this would go overseas, and since this is a highway we`re talking about there is no way that the cars can make it.

But a train track going across a section of a large country (ex. Mainland USA, Canada, Russia) would be cool, if its not going across the whole country. (I got the idea when thinking about the underwater train track that goes across the English Channel. (is that what its called?)

[PowerlinX]

So, in New York you would be driving on the right side of the road, but in London you drive on the left.

 

How would that work? 

 

It would use something like this.

[Thar]

 

It would use something like this.

 

Or just have both sides swap (with signs that say "Right lane is now left and vice versa" or something.)

 

I imagine that the best way to pull this off is to use flotation devices instead of supports. It'd cost a fortune just to build one support all the way down to the ocean floor... heck, I don't even think the concrete could handle the pressure, let alone the people who're installing it.