Map by CNN
Back in 2015, Vladimir Yakunin, then head of Russian Railways, unveiled a proposal so ambitious it seemed almost fantastical: a superhighway stretching from London all the way to New York City. The route would traverse Europe, cross the entire expanse of Russia, continue through Alaska, and finally terminate in New York.
This wasn’t just idle dreaming; it was a serious infrastructure proposal backed by one of Russia’s most powerful transportation officials.
The Route: A Geographic Marvel
The proposed highway would begin in London and snake eastward through Europe, passing through major cities like Moscow. From there, it would traverse the harsh Siberian landscape, connecting remote Russian territories that currently have minimal infrastructure.
The route would then cross the Bering Strait between Russia and Alaska, either via a massive bridge or an underwater tunnel, before continuing down through Canada and into the United States.
Looking at the map, you can see the stops at Nome, Alaska and Fairbanks before the route heads south. The total distance would span roughly 12,000 to 13,000 miles, making it the longest highway system ever conceived.
The Bering Strait: The Ultimate Engineering Challenge
The most technically daunting section would undoubtedly be the Bering Strait crossing. This narrow 55-mile gap between Russia and Alaska represents one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth.
Winter temperatures plunge well below freezing, pack ice dominates the seascape, and the area experiences brutal storms. Engineers would need to design either a bridge or a tunnel capable of withstanding these extreme conditions while remaining functional year-round.
Why Propose Such a Project?
Yakunin framed this superhighway as more than just a transportation link. He envisioned it as an economic corridor that would stimulate development in remote regions, particularly in Siberia and the Russian Far East.
The highway would theoretically open up vast territories for resource extraction, tourism, and trade. It would also represent a powerful symbol of global connectivity, literally bridging continents that have remained separated throughout human history.
Reality Check: Why It Never Happened
Despite the grand vision, this project faced overwhelming obstacles. The estimated cost would run into the hundreds of billions of dollars, possibly exceeding a trillion.
The geopolitical complications alone would be staggering, requiring unprecedented cooperation between Russia, Canada, and the United States at a time when relations were already strained. Environmental concerns about disrupting fragile Arctic ecosystems added another layer of complexity.
By 2015, Russia was already under international sanctions following the annexation of Crimea, making large-scale international infrastructure cooperation essentially impossible. The project quietly faded from discussion, remaining one of those remarkable “what if” scenarios in transportation history.
The Legacy of Big Thinking
While this superhighway will almost certainly never be built, it represents the kind of audacious thinking that has driven human progress throughout history. Sometimes the most valuable ideas aren’t the ones that get built, but the ones that expand our sense of what’s possible.
Help us out by sharing this map: