Building a tunnel under the Bosporus strait
Learn about the construction of a rail tunnel (2013) under the Bosporus, 2009 video.
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz
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Transcript
NARRATOR: Istanbul - junction between Orient and Occident. Hundreds of thousands battle to get over the two bridges between Europe and Asia. An underground train tunnel is supposed to solve the traffic congestion issue. The five-kilometer tunnel will run along the south end of the Bosporus, it will be made of gigantic tubes that were immersed one by one. Underwater cameras help steer the tubes to their final destination.
STEEN LYKKE: "The better you can control the element, you could see that in the current, a half an hour ago or an hour ago, you could see that the current had a good grip.
NARRATOR: Colossal hoists are supposed to drop the 30,000-metric-ton burden to the bottom of the straits. The massive tube is lowered onto the existing construction with steel cables. It's finally time. The hoists turn, the section of the tunnel is lowered only 20 centimeters a minute. It takes nine hours to complete the task. Preparations are being made for the tunnel on land, too. Hundreds of steel arms are being countersunk into the earth, they are designed to support the tunnel when earthquake tremors hit, because Istanbul lies near a fault line. Back at building headquarters on the Bosporus the team is navigating the tunnel element carefully to its resting place. The final centimeters - they managed. But many a challenge awaits them before a train will run under the straits.
STEEN LYKKE: "The better you can control the element, you could see that in the current, a half an hour ago or an hour ago, you could see that the current had a good grip.
NARRATOR: Colossal hoists are supposed to drop the 30,000-metric-ton burden to the bottom of the straits. The massive tube is lowered onto the existing construction with steel cables. It's finally time. The hoists turn, the section of the tunnel is lowered only 20 centimeters a minute. It takes nine hours to complete the task. Preparations are being made for the tunnel on land, too. Hundreds of steel arms are being countersunk into the earth, they are designed to support the tunnel when earthquake tremors hit, because Istanbul lies near a fault line. Back at building headquarters on the Bosporus the team is navigating the tunnel element carefully to its resting place. The final centimeters - they managed. But many a challenge awaits them before a train will run under the straits.