eavol.com – From time to time, almost all countries cannot be separated from infrastructure development. Talking about infrastructure development certainly cannot be separated from the term megaproject. Literally, a megaproject is a big job with specific targets and a clear deadline.
Megaprojects almost always cost fantastic amounts of money. Examples of megaprojects are the construction of a new capital city, the construction of long toll roads, the construction of fast train lines, and many more.
In various corners of the world, it turns out that there are several megaprojects that have failed to be utilized properly. What are the megaprojects and just from developed countries? The following is the explanation.
1. Interstate H-3 (Hawaii, United States)
Interstate H-3 is a coastal route on the island of O’ahu, Hawaii, United States. Built in the 1980s, the length of this Pantura road reaches 24.66 kilometers, stretching from Pearl Harbor to the Kaneohe Naval Base. Even though construction of this road was quite fast, this road could only be opened in 1997.
The cost of this work reached 1.3 billion US dollars or the equivalent of 18.5 trillion rupiah, as reported by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Unfortunately, the construction of the Pantura road is not very popular with the people on the island because the road does not pass through the city of Honolulu.
2. Ciudad Real International Airport (Spain)
In 2009, Spain opened a new international airport called Ciudad Real Airport. Interestingly, this project spent fantastic funds, namely 1.1 billion euros or the equivalent of 17.6 trillion rupiah. Unfortunately, this airport only lasted for 3 years because the management stated that their company had gone bankrupt in 2012.
This airport was originally planned to be built to accommodate 2 million passengers every year. Unfortunately, the airport’s location is not strategic because it is not close to tourist destinations or big cities, making this airport devoid of visitors. Interestingly, this airport was successfully auctioned in 2019 at a low price, namely 10,000 euros or the equivalent of 160 billion rupiah.
3. Capital city of Naypyidaw (Myanmar)
Since the military junta actually took control of Myanmar around 1990, the Myanmar government has been secretly building a new capital. In 2006, Naypyidaw City officially became the capital of Myanmar today. The name Naypyidaw means ‘where the king lives’.
The reason for moving the capital is actually not very clear. There is speculation that Myanmar’s old capital, Yangoon, was so vulnerable to attacks from the sea that the military junta government decided to build a new city in the center of Myanmar.
Unfortunately, even though it has complete facilities such as shopping centers, golf courses, hundreds of hotels and tourist attractions, this city is surprisingly empty of visitors. This cannot be separated from the small population in the city of Naypyidaw, which is less than 1 million people. The reasons why Myanmar people are reluctant to move to this city are the lack of job opportunities, good education, and low economic activity.
4. Forest City (Malaysia)
There is also Forest City in Malaysia which is on the list of mega projects that failed to be utilized properly. This city has been under construction since 2006 and is expected to be completed in 2035 with a cost of 100 billion US dollars or the equivalent of 1.6 quadrillion rupiah. Conceptually, this city is very good at implementing environmentally friendly technology and energy.
Considering that Forest City developers are mostly from China, Chinese people are given an easier opportunity to buy property in the city. In 2009, 80 percent of property owners in the city came from China. Native Malaysians cannot afford to buy property in the city because the prices are very expensive.
As a result, the streets in the city are mostly in Mandarin. After that, there were massive protests from native Malaysians accusing this project of modern colonialism. As a result, the Prime Minister of Malaysia at that time, Mahathir Mohamad, prohibited foreign citizens from owning property in Forest City.
5. Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Disposal (United States)
At the end of the 20th century, many countries were developing nuclear power, including the United States. Unfortunately, nuclear waste is known to be very dangerous to humans. Therefore, there is the Nuclear Waste Act which encourages the storage of nuclear waste in safer places.
The Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Disposal Project was the result of an amendment to the Nuclear Waste Act in 1987. The United States government at that time built a nuclear waste dump around Yucca Mountain in 2002.
Unfortunately, this project could contaminate the water that flows into the Amargosa Wastewater. As a result, under the leadership of Barack Obama, the United States central government stopped funding the project. This project has spent 17 billion US dollars or the equivalent of 242 trillion rupiah.
There are many factors why this can happen, ranging from inadequate planning to differences in public policy. In your opinion, are there any mega projects that have not been mentioned in the list above? Write in the comments, OK!
