Swiss plan tunnel under Strait of Gibraltar

The company, one of 14 competing for the job, has one year to draw up the plans for one of the most complex projects of its kind ever, on the cards for over a quarter of a century.



A Spanish-Moroccan committee has been considering various options since 1980, not surprising since the difficulties faced by potential builders are a huge challenge. It was only in 2004 that the two countries' governments decided to go ahead.

A bridge was ruled out because of the depth of the strait. It would be impossible to build supporting pillars in 300 metres of water.

A floating bridge was also not an option because of the number of ships passing through the Gibraltar bottleneck. An underwater tunnel made out of prefabricated elements was considered unfeasible as well as the sea bottom is unstable and currents too strong.

If the project goes ahead, it will be a close cousin of the Eurotunnel that runs under the Channel between France and Britain. Running at depths of up to 600 metres, it will connect Tarifa in Spain to Tangiers in Morocco.

Giovanni Lombardi, the 80-year-old head of the engineering firm, says the planned 40-kilometre tunnel is not the shortest way of connecting the two continents, but simply the best. He adds though that it is just feasible.

Planning for the project will be difficult. Just figuring out the configuration of the seabed will be a challenge.

Ships sent out to prospect its geology had to give up after a week's work as they were unable to stay in a stable position because of the strong currents washing through the strait.