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History's most expensive megaprojects, from China's Great Wall to the US interstate

Humanity's costliest construction endeavours
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Eastern Span, US: $7.3 billion (£5.2bn)
The Channel Tunnel, UK and France: $13.4 billion (£9.5bn)
Great Seto Bridge, Japan: $15.8 billion (£11.2bn)
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, Hong Kong/China/Macau: $20 billion (£15.2bn)
Big Dig, USA: $24.3 billion (£18.7bn)
Kansai International Airport, Japan: $24.8 billion (£17.6bn)
Toei Oedo Line, Japan: $28.5 billion (£20.1bn)
Hong Kong International Airport, China: $32.8 billion (£23.2bn)
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, USA: $35.2 billion (£24.9bn)
Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway, China: $41.2 billion (£29.2bn)
Yas Island, UAE: $42.5 billion (£30bn)
Three Gorges Dam, China: $43.4 billion (£30.6bn)
Itaipu Dam, Brazil/Paraguay: $50.4 billion (£35.6bn)
Sochi Olympic Stadium, Russia: $51 billion (£42.2bn)
Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Project, Japan: $76.9 billion (£54.4bn)
International Space Station: $169 billion (£119.6bn)
Masjid al-Haram, Saudi Arabia: $200 billion (£141bn)
Kashagan Field, Kazakhstan: $217.5 billion (£153.7bn)
Great Wall of China: $360 billion (£255bn)
Interstate Highway System, US: $563 billion (£398bn)
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Aphotostory/Shutterstock

Humanity's costliest construction endeavours

The human race has been making its mark on the planet since time immemorial, embarking on ever more ambitious, and expensive, constructions. The costliest run into tens and even hundreds of billions of dollars, and range from spectacular new cities to immense road and rail networks. From China's Great Wall to the US highway system, click or scroll through the 20 most expensive completed megaprojects of all time, adjusted for inflation into today's money, and get ready for your jaw to drop.

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Daniel Coughlin

28 September 2021

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