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FWIW, here on the East Coast of the U.S. we have the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. It’s 23 miles overall (17.6 miles shore to shore), two lanes each direction,

by js2 8y ago

FWIW, here on the East Coast of the U.S. we have the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. It’s 23 miles overall (17.6 miles shore to shore), two lanes each direction, and includes two tunnels of one mile each. The tunnels are part of the original construction and are only one lane each direction so traffic has to merge for the tunnels. I cross the bridge twice a year. It’s a long way. The Zhuhai bridge at 11 miles longer and double the tunnel distance must be quite something. I think I might be a little nervous driving in a tunnel that length. One thing I’ve noticed in the CBBT is that cars inevitably slow down on the upgrade out of the tunnel which is a hazard. I wonder if this will be a more significant hazard for the Zhuhai with the longer tunnel and more lanes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_Bay_Bridge%E2%80%93Tunnel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_Bay_Bridge%E2%80%93...

draw_down 8y ago
I grew up near that area and always found the drives over that bridge unsettling.
vinay427 8y ago
You may find the Gotthard road tunnel (Switzerland) interesting. It's also one lane each way and is a continuous 16.9km/10.5mi in length, though it's so well-lit and well-signed (as with virtually every tunnel in Switzerland, certainly compared to those in its neighboring countries) that it may not be very anxiety-inducing. It's probably far more comfortable than the mountain pass alternative!
- jacquesm 8y ago
  The mountain pass is a lot more fun though!
  - singingboyo 8y ago
    Unfortunately, "fun" on a mountain pass tends to approach deadly, especially in winter time. I'm in BC - the Coquihalla is foggy already, and in midwinter it can and will be incredibly treacherous. It's a gorgeous drive in good summer conditions, but I think people would handle boring and monotonous far better than the snow, or the fog where you can only see maybe 20m ahead.
fpoling 8y ago
I drove several times 25-km tunnel in Norway. It is the single tunnel for traffic in both directions with one line in each direction. It is not scary especially after driving through several older narrower tunnels before. The biggest problem is that it is very borring to drive through. To make driving less borring it contains 3 huge caves lit by light with different colors. It helps, but not much.
munificent 8y ago
I used to regularly cross the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway [1] which was for many years the longest bridge in the world at 23.83 miles. It is a soul-crushingly boring drive and dangerous given how monotonous and narrow it is. A friend used to have this interesting strategy for staying awake when crossing at night. There are two lanes going each way. He would straddle the pair and take up both lanes. That way, if he fell asleep and started drifting, the Botts' dots [2] on the centerline would wake him up as his wheels drifted over them. Probably not the smartest technique. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Pontchartrain_Causeway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Pontchartrain_Causeway [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botts%27_dots https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botts%27_dots
- js2 8y ago
  I've driven across the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway a couple times. I didn't recall it was that long. I've also driven the overseas highway many times. I don't know if there's any truth to it, but I've heard claims that the original Seven Mile Bridge which was built on railroad trestles and was therefor very narrow had fewer fatalities than the modern bridge that replaced it. The idea was that on the old narrow bridge, drivers obeyed the speed limit and paid much better attention than on the modern wider bridge which lulled drivers into being less careful.
- sjs382 8y ago
  I cross it a few times each week. It isn't too bad—you get across in about 20 minutes at 70mph (speed limit is 65), assuming you're not in rush-hour traffic or there isn't an accident closing one of the lanes. Except in the case of extreme weather, compared to the rest of the GNO, it's a pretty safe drive. There's a crossover every 3-5 miles (7 in total) that's staffed with (very active) Causeway-specific police, which makes the story about the "Botts Dots" pretty unbelievable at any time of day.

by js2 8y ago

draw_down 8y ago

I grew up near that area and always found the drives over that bridge unsettling.

vinay427 8y ago

You may find the Gotthard road tunnel (Switzerland) interesting. It's also one lane each way and is a continuous 16.9km/10.5mi in length, though it's so well-lit and well-signed (as with virtually every tunnel in Switzerland, certainly compared to those in its neighboring countries) that it may not be very anxiety-inducing. It's probably far more comfortable than the mountain pass alternative!

jacquesm 8y ago
The mountain pass is a lot more fun though!
- singingboyo 8y ago
  Unfortunately, "fun" on a mountain pass tends to approach deadly, especially in winter time. I'm in BC - the Coquihalla is foggy already, and in midwinter it can and will be incredibly treacherous. It's a gorgeous drive in good summer conditions, but I think people would handle boring and monotonous far better than the snow, or the fog where you can only see maybe 20m ahead.

fpoling 8y ago

I drove several times 25-km tunnel in Norway. It is the single tunnel for traffic in both directions with one line in each direction. It is not scary especially after driving through several older narrower tunnels before. The biggest problem is that it is very borring to drive through. To make driving less borring it contains 3 huge caves lit by light with different colors. It helps, but not much.

munificent 8y ago

I used to regularly cross the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway [1] which was for many years the longest bridge in the world at 23.83 miles. It is a soul-crushingly boring drive and dangerous given how monotonous and narrow it is. A friend used to have this interesting strategy for staying awake when crossing at night. There are two lanes going each way. He would straddle the pair and take up both lanes. That way, if he fell asleep and started drifting, the Botts' dots [2] on the centerline would wake him up as his wheels drifted over them. Probably not the smartest technique. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Pontchartrain_Causeway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Pontchartrain_Causeway [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botts%27_dots https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botts%27_dots

js2 8y ago
I've driven across the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway a couple times. I didn't recall it was that long. I've also driven the overseas highway many times. I don't know if there's any truth to it, but I've heard claims that the original Seven Mile Bridge which was built on railroad trestles and was therefor very narrow had fewer fatalities than the modern bridge that replaced it. The idea was that on the old narrow bridge, drivers obeyed the speed limit and paid much better attention than on the modern wider bridge which lulled drivers into being less careful.
sjs382 8y ago
I cross it a few times each week. It isn't too bad—you get across in about 20 minutes at 70mph (speed limit is 65), assuming you're not in rush-hour traffic or there isn't an accident closing one of the lanes. Except in the case of extreme weather, compared to the rest of the GNO, it's a pretty safe drive. There's a crossover every 3-5 miles (7 in total) that's staffed with (very active) Causeway-specific police, which makes the story about the "Botts Dots" pretty unbelievable at any time of day.