National Geographic Channel's Megastructures
Megastructures: Panama Canal we meet the mother of all mega-movers. Every year this strategic waterway lifts 14,000 ships over the equivalent of a nine-storey mountain range. Relying on some of the mightiest machines and feats of engineering in the world, the demands for its services are high, and now there are plans afoot for an even bigger, better canal.
Have you heard about the Canal of Colombia megaproject? The route for a level canal without locks was discovered in 1853 by William Kennish. The problem is to go through the basalt Baudo Range at 7* Latitude North on the Pacific Shore. Mr. Kennish designed two tunnels 3 miles long to cross this barrier and to connect the Pacific to the Atlantic oceans through the 4th greatest volume river of the world: the Atrato River.
The Canal of Colombia will permit passing of 250.000 tons Post Panama ships!
92 km of the Atrato River require only dragging the Tarena mouth and closing the other mouths.
The Truando River is 54 km, where the flow has to be reversed. The Baudo range is 26 km.
There are several ways of cuting the basalt mountain:
1. with Jumbo drills
2. with Basalt cutting machines
3. with High power laser.
An option offered in 1970 by the US Commission for the interoceanic canal was the nuclear explosions which was not accepted.
Perhaps the National Geographic would consider a price for a project to be presented next September at the WEEF (Engineering Congress) meeting in Cartagena, Colombia. That will coincide with the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Sea of the South (Pacific Ocean) by Vasco Nuñez de Balboa.
Your consideration will be greatly appreciated,
**Jaime G. Gomez, MD
