Why there is no bridge between Spain and Morocco (and why the tunnel is so complicated)

According to the Spanish Institute of Engineering (IIES), several factors make the bridge project utopian. The first is the depth of the strait, which reaches 900 meters, recalls La Razòn. Added to this are very strong sea currents due to the meeting between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. These extreme conditions would make the structure unstable and would require pillars spaced "more than fourteen kilometers, something impossible with current technology," according to the IIES.

Earthquakes, violent winds and maritime traffic

Another major obstacle is the seismic activity of the area. The strait is located at the meeting point of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, which makes it subject to frequent earthquakes. In addition, the violent winds and intense maritime traffic in the area complicate the equation. A bridge would have to be high enough to allow the passage of the largest ships in the world and its foundations strong enough to withstand possible collisions, driving up construction costs to "astronomical amounts."

Faced with the technical impossibility of a bridge, the two countries officially reactivated the underwater tunnel project in April 2023. Imagined more than 30 years ago, this exclusively rail project would be 60 kilometers long, with 28 kilometers under the sea. However, it faces the same geological challenges (earthquakes, currents) and its cost is estimated between 15 and 30 billion euros. If it sees the light of day, it would not be operational before 2040 at the earliest.