The task force charged with planning for the “Grand Canal” has unveiled plans to use huge elevators to move ships up and down the Sobaek Mountains. The technology for “ship elevators” exists but from the MBC video, it seems that it’s used to lift Rhine cruise boats that weigh hundreds of tons at the most. Unless the canal is being restricted to barge only traffic, the elevators that the TF is planning will be lifting cargo ships that weigh thousands of tons and to my knowledge there is no device that can lift something that heavy that high(100 meters or 328ft). So, one wonders whether the elevators themselves will become reality.
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In the land of escalators for shopping carts and elevators for cars, I believe that anything is possible. Of course just because it’s possible doesn’t mean its a good idea, economically feasible or able to be built within the next few decades.
ah … don’t canals (rivers, waterways, etc.) usually use locks to deal with issues of height??
elevators of this kind seem really bass ackwards. not to mention really fracking expensive and prone to failure.
“Mins” poses a good technical consideration. I especially wonder how practical this would be after reading of other boat lifting devices and how much they cost and can carry: boat wheel. I wish a real engineer would comment on this idea, from their perspective.
Maybe the point is to give future archaeologists a nice puzzle to work out? Like the Easter Island heads.
“How could a thriving culture obliterate itself with such meaningless public works? I’m the head of Leonard Nimoy in a jar, and these are ‘Weird Mysteries’”
#2 - Yes, locks would be the usual method. The St. Lawrence Seaway comes to mind. However, the seaway did not have to contend with mountains like the Sobaek range. The mountain elevators seem a little far-fetched. Has somebody in the task force been watching a little too much Discovery Channel lately?
This project worries me quite a bit. (Fortunately, it seems more than a few Koreans aren’t that happy about it either.) The river by Danyang - not to mention Sobaeksan itself - is one of my favorite spots in Korea. Great for hiking or just chilling out. Guess it was only a matter of time before someone felt the need to fuck it up too, with completely unnecessary barge traffic no less…
I posed this question in an earlier thread, and got no response. It’s interesting, given that you would think that economies of scale are in play and that barge traffic will be more expensive. So I’ll ask now what I asked before; “wouldn’t it be more economical to sail around the peninsula”?
#5,
Yeah, Danyang is also one of my favorite spots in Korea. It would be a shame to see it fucked up.
This is going to be the most expensive Disney ride ever. I can’t wait.
Why?
aaronm - I think some time back, maybe on MH, I remember a transporation cost breakdown when LMB first proposed the idea, and I remember, according to canal proponents, it was a bit cheaper to ship through the canal than around the peninsula, but that’s presumably from Pusan to Incheon, not say, Mokpo to Incheon.
After reunifiction they can just use several hundred thousand northern laborers to manually carry the ships.
> “wouldn’t it be more economical
> to sail around the peninsula?”
Even with the cost of upgrading Incheon and etc Ports: yes, much.
No, these elevators will never become reality; but trillions of Won will be contracted to Hyundai in the attempt, which seems to be the entire actual goal.
Re: “according to canal proponents, it was a bit cheaper to ship through the canal than around the peninsula”
But, of course. Those that frame the argument get to hand-pick the data that supports their predetermined conclusion while conveniently ignoring data to the contrary.
Any idiot not in thrall to the construction companies can realize that shipping using a zero-cost medium (the open seas) is cheaper than spending billions to build a canal that will require a large amount of labor, maintenance, and horsepower to operate.
This is text-book example of pork-belly legislation in the works.
And what of the talk of another canal going through Honam? A sop to the hillbillies to stop them voting commie?
#12,
Ding, dong, deng!!!