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This article was first published 12 years ago

World's biggest and busiest projects

Last updated on: July 12, 2011 13:20 IST

Image: Burj Khalifa.
Tallest, longest, busiest -- the world has a number of record breaking projects. Here's a look at some of the most amazing man-made structures.

Burj Khalifa (The United Arab Emirates)

Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the world's tallest building. With a height of 828 metres (2,717 ft), Burj Khalifa is an extraordinary architectural feat.

The building has the highest number of storeys and the highest outdoor observation deck in the world. It also has the tallest service elevator in the world.

Designed by Adrian Smith, the total cost for the project was about $1.5 billion.

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World's biggest and busiest projects

Image: 23 Marina.
23 Marina (The United Arab Emirates)

This is the world's tallest residential building. Built by Mumbai-based Hiranandani Group, 23 Marina is currently under construction in Dubai.

The tower is set to have 90 floors and will rise to 395 metres (1,296 ft). The tower will have 57 swimming pools, and each duplex in the tower will have its own private elevator.

The handing over of the apartments is likely to commence in August, 2011.

World's biggest and busiest projects

Image: Millau Viaduct.
Millau Viaduct (France)

The world's highest bridge, the Millau Viaduct is a cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the river Tarn near Millau in southern France.

Designed by the French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster, its mast's summit is at 343.0 metres (1,125 ft).

The cost of building stand at a whopping 400 million euros. The bridge won the 2006 IABSE Outstanding Structure Award.

The Millau Viaduct consists of an eight-span steel roadway supported by seven concrete pylons.

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World's biggest and busiest projects

Image: Kingda Ka.
Kingda Ka (The United States of America)

The world's tallest rollercoaster, Kingda Ka, is located at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, USA.

It was also the world's fastest until Formula Rossa opened in November 2010.

The train is launched by a hydraulic launch mechanism to 128 miles per hour (206 km/h) in 3.5 seconds. The train climbs the main top tower, reaching a height of 456 feet (139 m). Kingda Ka is 3,118 feet (950 m) long.

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World's biggest and busiest projects

Image: The International Commerce Centre that houses Ritz Carlton.
Photographs: Reuters.
Ritz Carlton (Hong Kong)

The world's tallest hotel, Ritz Carlton, has opened in Hong Kong. With spectacular views of the Victoria Harbour, the 118-storyed architectural marvel is a sight to behold.

The Ritz-Carlton occupies the top 16 floors from 102 to 118 of Hong Kong's International Commerce Centre which is 490 metres high.

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World's biggest and busiest projects

Image: Nurek Dam.
Nurek Dam (Tajikistan)

At 300 metres (984 ft), it is currently the tallest dam in the world. The construction of the dam began in 1961 and was completed in 1980.

The dam includes nine hydroelectric generating units. Located in a deep gorge along the Vakhsh River in western Tajikistan, it has a generating capacity of 300 megawatts each.

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World's biggest and busiest projects

Image: Gothard Base Tunnel.
Gothard Base Tunnel

The Gothard Base Tunnel located beneath the Swiss Alps will become the longest railway tunnel in the world.

The $12 billion project will be longer than the undersea Seikan Tunnel in Japan and is expected to be completed by 2017.

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World's biggest and busiest projects

Image: Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Bridge.
Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Bridge

The world's longest cross-sea bridge, spanning 36.48 kilometers across the mouth of the Jiaozhou Bay in China's eastern Shandong province, opened to traffic in June 2011, just four years after construction started.

The bridge, connecting urban Qingdao with the city's less-developed district of Huangdao, cost about 14.8 billion yuan ($2.3 billion).

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World's biggest and busiest projects

Image: Kharagpur railway platform has a world record.
Kharagpur railway platform (India)

The longest railway station platform is in Kharagpur in India. It also has one of the biggest railway workshops in India.

This railway platform in the world stretches across 1,072 metres(3,538 feet).

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World's biggest and busiest projects

Image: Trans-Siberian Railway.
Trans-Siberian Railway (Russia)

The Trans-Siberian Railway which stretches across a distance of 5,777 miles (9,297 kilometers) runs from Moscow to Vladivostok.

In this picturesque route, there are 9 tunnels, 139 large bridges and 3,762 smaller bridges across the route.

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World's biggest and busiest projects

Image: Pan-American Highway.
Pan-American Highway (United States)

The Pan-American Highway is the world's longest motorable road. Its length is about 47,958 kilometres (29,800 miles).

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World's biggest and busiest projects

Image: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (United States)

It has been the world's busiest airport by passenger traffic and number of landings and take-offs since 1999, serving 88 million passengers per year.

The airport is the primary hub of AirTran Airways, Delta Air Lines.

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World's biggest and busiest projects

Image: Shanghai Port.
Shanghai Port (China)

Shanghai Port is the busiest seaport in the world. It has a deep-sea port and a river port. In 2010, Shanghai Port overtook the Singapore port to become the world's busiest container port.

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World's biggest and busiest projects

Image: Shinjuku Station.
Shinjuku Station (Japan)

The world's busiest passenger station, in terms of daily passenger throughput, is Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. Ikebukuro in Tokyo has the world's second-busiest station.