Six Reasons This Consortium Is Calling For A Different Kind Of Gozo Tunnel
You may have seen a Facebook video recently calling for a special kind of tunnel between Malta and Gozo: an immersed tunnel. It’s an idea being promoted by a consortium that agrees with linking the two islands but does not quite agree with the way the government is envisaging it so far.
In case you haven’t been paying attention, the government has committed to building a fixed link to provide better access between Malta and Gozo. The Prime Minister has gone as far as to say the whole thing could be operational by 2024. The plan is to dig a tunnel from Manikata to Nadur, through a 13km route. And that’s where this consortium comes in, proposing a tunnel that’s built onshore and immersed into the water and onto the seabed. Why? Well, these are just six of the benefits.
1. It’s safer to build
Constructing an underground tunnel can be dangerous business. Workers will have to spend a large amount of time in depths that could easily result in complications if things go wrong. On the other hand, constructing a tunnel on land eliminates even the most remote risks.
2. It’s half the length
Since a pre-fabricated tunnel can be laid on the sea bed instead of dug underground, the ends of the tunnel can afford to be closer together. The consortium estimates it can build a 6km tunnel, which is less than half the 13km one being proposed by the government committee in charge. This would also mean time saved by commuters.
3. It allows for two-lane traffic (and even the possibility of rail system)
The experts backing the immersed tunnel consortium believe that the best solution for the link is that tunnel will allow for two-lane traffic, as opposed to the one-lane solution being envisaged by the government. The immersed tunnel can also be designed to allow for a train or metro to pass through it. A one-lane tunnel without the possibility of a rail system could become obsolete quickly, the consortium fears.
4. It’s a quicker solution with fewer risks
Digging a tunnel underground is not impossible, but it does lend itself to various unknowns. An immersed tunnel that’s built on land eliminates most of these unknowns, allowing for better project management, and fewer risks in terms of finances, time lines and geological considerations.
5. It’s less taxing on the environment
One of the major environmental impacts of the Malta-Gozo tunnel being proposed is the vast amounts of construction waste it will create. It’s already been said that the waste will probably have to be used for land reclamation. The consortium argues that it will also mean around 200 trucks full of construction waste in Malta’s streets every single day. On the other hand, a concrete tunnel not built in Malta will save all that waste and transportation. And the waste generated in digging out a canal for the immersed tunnel will be reused in a process where the top of the structure is rehabilitated back into a seabed.
6. It’s a proven method used the world over
The consortium says the immersed tunnel method has been used for more than 100 years and most recently is being used to connect Denmark and Germany: just one of 150 examples around the world. The consortium promises a team of world-class specialists with many years of experience in the design, construction and operation of such projects.
