Supertunnels

Overview

To overcome oceans and mountains that separate us from our neighbors, engineers have pushed the limits of subterranean construction and dug tunnels which were thought impossible to achieve. We follow their feats by going back to the gigantic sites of three tunnel projects: through mountains and under sea. In 1871, the tunnel of Mont-Cenis was the first to pierce the Alps. Work was supposed to take up to 30 years, but a revolutionary machine turned the world of mining upside down. The pneumatic drill broke all records in tunneling. At its inauguration in 1994, the Euro tunnel was the longest under-sea tunnel of all times. Digging virtually three tunnels over 50 kilometers under the English Channel was, in fact, a triple feat. In 1871, the tunnel of Mont-Cenis was the first to pierce the Alps. Last, but not least, there is Mont Blanc Tunnel, completed in 1965 as the longest road tunnel of its time.