What have been some of the longest running/longest lasting "projects" in your city/country to date?

They do not neccessarily have to be such intricate works as Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, nor do they need to have over 100 years of construction history....but merely some kind of important project that has been started a while ago and is yet to be completed:)


For Belgrade, it has to be...

1. Metro
Belgrade was supposed to be one of the first cities in Europe to have one built (after London & Budapest) but today is the largest city in Europe without one. Only one metro station, Vukov Spomenik , exists. It was opened in 1995.

Now there is a new plan for a LRT system(light rail transit) but it seems we might have to wait another hundred years for it;)

http://www.yu-build.com/main/h/089/089c.jpg

2. Prokop - New Railway Station
Construction kicked of 30 years ago, and after a couple of hundred million dollars were poured into the construction of underground tunnels and platforms, the site was mothballed for the last few years. Most recent development has been the new tender for its completition. It was initiailly awared to Hungarian company TriGranit, but after some wrangling over land fees/finances/perks/taxes and such with the government, it was finally given to the second-placed local construction & planning firm, Energoprojekt. Work should resume in spring 2008 and finnish by 2011. Another 200-300 million euros will be spent on it.

This is a very important project for the city, because it means that as soon as the new station is finnished, services will be moved from the old one, clearing up that valuable land along the Sava river for other developments.

One possible future appearance (old now)
http://www.x-build.net/4images/data/media/1/Budu_i_izgled_elezni_ke_stanice_Prokop.sized.jpg


3. Belgrade Ring-Road

After 17 years, a grand total of 17 kilometers were built.:bash:

http://www.politika.co.yu/eaadmin/catpics/N39467_obqmT6Qgxn5NbOVKgtqsq0GtygA4o8G5m6E.gif

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/1520/obilaznicatg8.jpg

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/9643/putit8.jpg

For Romania, it would have to be the (in)famous Casa Poporului (House of the People). It is the second most massive building in the world after the Pentagon. Construction began in 1983 and it was nearing completion in 1989, when the Revolution happened. That thing is so huge that parts weren't completed to this very day.

More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Poporului

Another project that began in 1988 (I think...) is the nuclear power plant at Cernavoda. One reactor is operational, but three more remain to be built.

Also, we have the Bucharest - Constanta motorway (some 300 km at most). Construction also began during the last years of communism, but it was halted around 1992. It was only resumed 10 years later, and as a result today is completed only in a proportion of about 75% - the section Cernavoda - Constanta is missing.

Construction began in 1983 and it was nearing completion in 1989
Interesting I allways think it was from the '50 (Romanian socrealism)

new Slovak national theatre (construction 1986-2007, total cost 200mil $)

http://www.sme.sk/cdata/2868858/SNDbig.jpg

http://www.sme.sk/cdata/3242743/big.gif
there was problem with money :lol:

Only one metro station, Vukov Spomenik , exists. It was opened in 1995.
May be I don't understand smth, but what's the need to open only one metro station?

Serbia has always been a little hard to understand, so don't worry...you're not the only one;)
By the way, that partuclar metro station reportedly cost between 300-500 million$ to build.....so I guess running out of money could be one reason.

By the way, that partuclar metro station reportedly cost between 300-500 million$ to build

wtf? :eek:

That metro station isn't built as a part of what we call metro now, it's built as a part of a suburban-commuter railway system called Beovaz that goes underground for one small part. I think that there are all in total three underground Beovoz stations - but this one is supposed to be the part of metro as well. The system has an insufficient number of trains and the railways are neglected so today it doesn't work as it was visioned, but it works in one way ore another. It handles 6-7 million passengers per year today.

Funny fact, although Prokop construction site now looks like a giant post-apocalyptic hole, it still in use as a Beovoz station

btw, a funny video on youtube filmed by some Indonesian tourists on the escalator in Vukov Somenik

k1Shqv3R-e0

Zagreb University Hospital, 220 million USD spent, additional 420 million USD needed for works on hospital to be complete.

Hospital stats:

Size: 184 000sqm + 74 000sqm of Daily Clinic
beds: 1050
Operating Theaters: 24
Intensive Care Beds (ICU): 32

Basically State of the art Hospital that never got built.
Construction started in 1987 (I think) and stopped in 1992 bc lack of funds.

If I find more pictures I'll post them here.
http://www.poslovni.hr/img/ArticleImages/28524.jpg

Google view of the entire complex :)
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/7701/universityhospitalzagreps9.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/215/468909519_3a12cf2580_o.jpg

Rázsochy hospital in Bratislava, construction started in 1986 :cheers:

Another project that began in 1988 (I think...) is the nuclear power plant at Cernavoda. One reactor is operational, but three more remain to be built.


The second reactor is operational, too ! The construction works for the reactors no. 3 & 4 will start soon (first part of 2008) and are scheduled to be completed in 2013.

For Bulgaria it's Belene NPP,I guess.Construction started in the mid 80s,the project was put on halt in 1990 and the site was abandoned.Now,17 years later it's back on track and the construction of the first reactor should be finished somewhere around 2015-2016.

http://www.nek.bg/images/foto_g_belene_02.jpg

http://www.nek.bg/images/foto_g_belene_03.jpg

http://www.nek.bg/images/foto_g_belene_06.jpg

http://www.nek.bg/images/foto_g_belene_08.jpg

2013 AFAIK :)

There are going to be only 2 reactors, 2x1000MW, unlike NPP Kozloduy that had 6 reactors (only 2 operational now)..

Stadium Maksimir in Zagreb.

i won't go out with numbers because they are not certain and only God knows how much money has been spent into that project, and it has never been finnished. i guess we could easily build 2 Wembleys if we would have back that money that's been spent on Maksimir stadium

^^ 2,4 billion Euro :nuts: ?! ... Wembley total cost was ~ 1,2 billion Euro.

For Romania, it would have to be the (in)famous Casa Poporului (House of the People). It is the second most massive building in the world after the Pentagon. Construction began in 1983 and it was nearing completion in 1989, when the Revolution happened. That thing is so huge that parts weren't completed to this very day.

More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Poporului

Another project that began in 1988 (I think...) is the nuclear power plant at Cernavoda. One reactor is operational, but three more remain to be built.

Also, we have the Bucharest - Constanta motorway (some 300 km at most). Construction also began during the last years of communism, but it was halted around 1992. It was only resumed 10 years later, and as a result today is completed only in a proportion of about 75% - the section Cernavoda - Constanta is missing.

I'd mention Danube - Black See Canal - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danube-Black_Sea_Canal

http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/7131/canalhartauj9.png (http://imageshack.us)

^^ 2,4 billion Euro :nuts: ?! ... Wembley total cost was ~ 1,2 billion Euro.

ok, not that much :D but they've spent a lot of money, and the worst things are that none improvments have appeared and it is ugly and unfinnished. and situation is not changing for years, although they allways do something there.

i'll try to find information about spent €

Grand Theatre in Lublin, construction started in 1974. Hopefuly will be finished in 2010 as a Culture Centre

Right now named as "Theatre under construction"

http://www.kurierlubelski.pl/mediashare/s5/y1u9yocgurgm91apenmrrjwydxacd4-org.jpg

http://www.kurierlubelski.pl/mediashare/ck/zvv9trerasd5zky4vsfnj8emc0fzqb-org.jpg

I'd mention Danube - Black See Canal - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danube-Black_Sea_Canal

http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/7131/canalhartauj9.png (http://imageshack.us)

^^ At the very least it's fully operational... isn't it?

Don't forget the Danube - Bucharest Canal!:)
The Danube-Bucharest Canal is a 73 kilometre-long canal project that is supposed to link Bucharest, Romania to the Danube via Argeş River.

The earliest plans, made by engineer Nicolae Cucu in 1880, sought to link Bucharest to the Danube at Olteniţa. In 1927, a study by Alexandru Davidescu was published at the Polytechnic School. Two years later, the Romanian parliament passed Law no. 2749 on the building of the Argeş–Bucharest–Danube canal and of a port in Bucharest; the law was published in Monitorul Oficial in August 1929. However, the world recession of the early 1930s prevented the government from investing large amounts of money in such projects. Various studies were published, but as World War II began, they were ignored.

New plans were made in 1982, the main goal being the regularization of the Argeş River, which flooded in 1970. Communist leader Nicolae Ceauşescu also wanted to have a direct link to Northern Europe, as Rhine-Main-Danube Canal was also built then. The building of the canal began in 1986, the project was supposed to have five locks and four hydro-electric plants (the only one that is currently working is the one at Mihăileşti). The final project was supposed to generate 62 GWh/year.

In February 1990, the building of the canal was stopped, although it was 60% ready. Currently, just the dam at Mihăileşti and the micro-hydro plant are functional. In 1997, Traian Băsescu, who was Minister of Transports at the time, announced that the finalizing of the canal requires about 400 million dollars and four years, but the financing was not found at the time. In 2005, Adriean Videanu, the mayor of Bucharest announced that he intends to finish the work.
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/2893/1358pozark0.th.gif (http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1358pozark0.gif)http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/262/2547pozainteriorex7.th.gif (http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=2547pozainteriorex7.gif)http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/742/1363pozaxk9.th.gif (http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1363pozaxk9.gif)

^^ Is the project for this canal economically viable, or it was initiated to satisfy somebody's ego?

The project should be economically viable since Bucharest would benefit of a port, and a port near or in a big city is a vital source of income and in term, prosperity. It would be a small river port, of course, but I think it's a very good idea.

I think it's safe to say that the project was originally initiated both because of economic reasons and to satisfy Ceauşescu's ego.:)

Anyway, I just remembered I have posted, back in 2006, some info about the plans to resume this project. The article (http://blog.paginibucurestene.ro/2006/12/04/canalul-bucuresti-dunare-ar-putea-fi-finalizat-in-5-ani/) is in Romanian, but it basically says they need a billion EUR to finish the project, money they plan to get from private investors that would have the right to exploit the canal for a certain period.

The project (which also includes a port on Dâmboviţa river) is 70-75% (60% if we trust Wiki) completed, and if they get the money, they could finish it in 5 years.

There were also talk regarding the port being a part of the future integrated transport system to the South of Bucharest, which would also host a brand new airport. But these are just plans at the moment, nothing concrete.

P.S.: excuse the maybe crappy appearance of the site, as I'm working on expanding it at the moment and it's a bit messy.:nuts:

Thanks.

^^ Cosmin , this project looks nice to me, even though it is in some way connected with Causescu's ego. Hope they do it soon. Bucurest will defenetely profit from it. :cheers: