Updated: Jun 19, 2023
Scientists are wondering if moving the world’s roads underground could reduce traffic, cut down on vehicle accidents, and even benefit the environment. Without busy roads, large amounts of space would be cleared for vegetation and other infrastructure.
According to the BBC, “No one, not even [Elon] Musk, has suggested burying every single one of the world’s roads. In a time of increasing urbanization, soaring inequality and climate crisis, imagining the impact this could have raises important questions about how our global transport system is developing – and prompts us to consider where we really want it to go.”
There are over 40 million miles of roads globally, with many more predicted to be built in developing countries. As the population increases and more cars are produced, traffic is predicted to increase by over 50 percent. The average American spends 54 hours per year waiting in traffic, which increases carbon emissions and air pollution.
In 2018, Musk said “Traffic is soul destroying, it’s like acid on the soul.” He speculates that his tunneling firm, the Boring Company, can solve the traffic problem.
However, many experts are doubtful as to whether the traffic problem can be solved so easily. Tom Ireland, projects director of tunneling at the engineering company Aurecon says, “If the roads above ground were simply replicated underground, I don’t really see that congestion is going to improve. It’s partly the theory of “induced demand”: building roads simply encourages more people to use them, meaning congestion is virtually impossible to solve just by increasing road capacity…It has to be a different paradigm.”
Ireland also theorizes that cars would be shared property: “You can use your phone and just call up a rideshare that is driven autonomously.” While self-driving cars aren’t yet here, many may start using driverless vehicles instead of public transport and further increase congestion.
Burying roads would also create a large increase in space, which could be used for farming or reforestation. Wildlife ecosystems could be restored, and more plants could help reduce carbon in the air. Some roads also disrupt species’ habitats by separating animals from each other or their prey.
Alisa Coffin, a research ecologist at the US Department of Agriculture says the Tamiami Trail, a road connecting Tampa and Miami, had disastrous effects on the Everglades because it blocked its water flow. “It’s an example of how a road was built without really understanding what the impacts would be,” she says.
The large increase in space would mostly affect cities, which could mean more parks, playgrounds, and recreational areas. “Can you imagine how the cities will be transformed?” asks Ireland. “If you want to revitalize the city center, you pedestrianize the roads.”
Collisions between vehicles and humans or animals would also be significantly reduced, creating safer environments for pedestrians and cyclists. In the U.K., about 10,000 animals are killed each year due to traffic accidents. That number rises to hundreds of millions when factoring in the entire continent of Europe.
Rachel Aldred, a professor of transport at the University of Westminster in London, says “Motor traffic mixing with people is inherently problematic.” Around 1.3 million people die every year in traffic accidents.
Although the climate can be controlled underground to ensure that infrastructure is more durable, underground roads are more hazardous. Instead of facing rain, snow, and heat, underground roads can be flooded – a real threat. Entrances and exits to the road system would need to be several feet above surface level in order to reduce flooding risk, as they are in Bangkok, where entrances to the subway system are raised to protect it from monsoons. However, during the 2001 Gotthard tunnel disaster in Switzerland, an underground fire reached blazing temperatures and even fused cars together. Carbon emissions from cars would have no where to go, increasing the risk of a fire.
Another problem would be parking, as people would need to park in a large garage, then get to their destination by walking or other means. This would be particularly dangerous for lone drivers, who may not feel safe alone at night. Additionally, the cost of the project is exponentially higher than building a highway on the surface. Digging, excavating, and reinforcing millions of miles of roads would be prohibitively expensive. Boston’s so-called “Big Dig,” which took 7.5 miles of road underground, took almost 15 years and cost more than 20 billion dollars, exceeding the original $2.6 billion budget. Burying roads would cost around $100-$200 million per mile in Asia, $250-$500 million per mile in Europe, and $1.5-$2.5 billion per mile in the US.
Scientists are wondering if moving the world’s roads underground could reduce traffic, cut down on vehicle accidents, and even benefit the environment. Without busy roads, large amounts of space would be cleared for vegetation and other infrastructure.
According to the BBC, “No one, not even [Elon] Musk, has suggested burying every single one of the world’s roads. In a time of increasing urbanization, soaring inequality and climate crisis, imagining the impact this could have raises important questions about how our global transport system is developing – and prompts us to consider where we really want it to go.”
There are over 40 million miles of roads globally, with many more predicted to be built in developing countries. As the population increases and more cars are produced, traffic is predicted to increase by over 50 percent. The average American spends 54 hours per year waiting in traffic, which increases carbon emissions and air pollution.
In 2018, Musk said “Traffic is soul destroying, it’s like acid on the soul.” He speculates that his tunneling firm, the Boring Company, can solve the traffic problem.
However, many experts are doubtful as to whether the traffic problem can be solved so easily. Tom Ireland, projects director of tunneling at the engineering company Aurecon says, “If the roads above ground were simply replicated underground, I don’t really see that congestion is going to improve. It’s partly the theory of “induced demand”: building roads simply encourages more people to use them, meaning congestion is virtually impossible to solve just by increasing road capacity…It has to be a different paradigm.”
Ireland also theorizes that cars would be shared property: “You can use your phone and just call up a rideshare that is driven autonomously.” While self-driving cars aren’t yet here, many may start using driverless vehicles instead of public transport and further increase congestion.
Burying roads would also create a large increase in space, which could be used for farming or reforestation. Wildlife ecosystems could be restored, and more plants could help reduce carbon in the air. Some roads also disrupt species’ habitats by separating animals from each other or their prey.
Alisa Coffin, a research ecologist at the US Department of Agriculture says the Tamiami Trail, a road connecting Tampa and Miami, had disastrous effects on the Everglades because it blocked its water flow. “It’s an example of how a road was built without really understanding what the impacts would be,” she says.
The large increase in space would mostly affect cities, which could mean more parks, playgrounds, and recreational areas. “Can you imagine how the cities will be transformed?” asks Ireland. “If you want to revitalize the city center, you pedestrianize the roads.”
Collisions between vehicles and humans or animals would also be significantly reduced, creating safer environments for pedestrians and cyclists. In the U.K., about 10,000 animals are killed each year due to traffic accidents. That number rises to hundreds of millions when factoring in the entire continent of Europe.
Rachel Aldred, a professor of transport at the University of Westminster in London, says “Motor traffic mixing with people is inherently problematic.” Around 1.3 million people die every year in traffic accidents.
Although the climate can be controlled underground to ensure that infrastructure is more durable, underground roads are more hazardous. Instead of facing rain, snow, and heat, underground roads can be flooded – a real threat. Entrances and exits to the road system would need to be several feet above surface level in order to reduce flooding risk, as they are in Bangkok, where entrances to the subway system are raised to protect it from monsoons. However, during the 2001 Gotthard tunnel disaster in Switzerland, an underground fire reached blazing temperatures and even fused cars together. Carbon emissions from cars would have no where to go, increasing the risk of a fire.
Another problem would be parking, as people would need to park in a large garage, then get to their destination by walking or other means. This would be particularly dangerous for lone drivers, who may not feel safe alone at night. Additionally, the cost of the project is exponentially higher than building a highway on the surface. Digging, excavating, and reinforcing millions of miles of roads would be prohibitively expensive. Boston’s so-called “Big Dig,” which took 7.5 miles of road underground, took almost 15 years and cost more than 20 billion dollars, exceeding the original $2.6 billion budget. Burying roads would cost around $100-$200 million per mile in Asia, $250-$500 million per mile in Europe, and $1.5-$2.5 billion per mile in the US.
