Moscow-based Russian Academy of Science revealed a project a few years ago that would involve the creation of a highway, making it possible to drive from London to New York and vice versa. The idea is certainly possible knowing that the biggest obstacle would be the crossing of the Bering Sea, a narrow stretch that separates Asia and North America. This massive trans-Siberian highway is speculated to be constructed alongside the existing Trans-Siberian Railway, as well as along some of the existing oil and gas pipelines and a new train network.
Dubbed the Trans-Eurasian Belt Development (TEPR), the project is estimated to cover a distance between Russia’s western and eastern borders of approximately 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles). The new road would run across all of Russia, linking up with the existing road systems in Western Europe and Asia. It’s starting (or ending) points would stretch well into the eastern Chukotka region, across the Bering Strait, and into Alaska’s Seward Peninsula some distance north of the town of Nome.
The shortest distance estimated between mainland Russia and mainland Alaska is currently 88 kilometers (55 miles). Today, there are no isolated roads (even by Alaska standards), that connect Nome with any of the rest of the state’s road systems. The closest major city and road network in Fairbanks is around 836 road-less kilometers (520 miles).
It is estimated that such an endeavor would run costs into trillions of dollars.But some say the economic returns would justify its construction. That, undoubtedly, would be a major area of concern for all involved.
