This was a post I made in response to earlier queries about some sort of bridge or tunnel across the Strait of Gibraltar, connecting Gibraltar and Spain with Morocco.  I posted it on June 3, 2002.


Why we will likely never see a Strait of Gibraltar crossing

In the past, some have speculated about a "Strait of Gibraltar" crossing of some sorts. Got to take a look at a good nautical chart of the area recently, and the numbers plainly show why we probably will not see one for years, if ever.

The shallowest crossing of the straits I found has a depth of approximately 310 meters (about 1017 feet). A crossing at this point would be 14 nautical miles (just over 16 standard miles, or 25.9km), between Punta Paloma (northwest of Tarifa) on the Spain side, and Pointe Malabata (northeast of Tanger) on the Morocco side. It would necessitate a tunnel of at least 5.5 nautical miles in length (about 6.4 standard miles, or 10.2km) to clear the shipping lanes.

That's about the only possibility. The Strait averages about 10 nautical miles (about 11.5 standard miles, or 18.5km), and the narrowest point is still about 8 nautical miles (about 9.2 standard miles, or 14.8km). Problem with this location is that the depth is over 800 meters (about 2650 feet)....too steep of a slope, and there are large hills and cliffs on both sides of the Strait. These hills and cliffs average about 400 meters in height (over 1300 feet), while the Strait itself averages about 650 meters (2100 feet) in depth, being deeper on the Mediterranean side and slightly shallower on the Atlantic side.

Even if a location could be found, the cost would be considerable, and construction difficult due to the VERY HEAVY commercial and military traffic that transits the Straits.
 

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