Constructive and technological proposals for the creation of a high-speed transport and energy highway in the arctic zone

Background. St. Petersburg University of Architecture and Civil Engineering is developing alternative proposals creating a high-speed highway in the Arctic zone along the Northern Sea Route. This project includes stops at major transport and logistics centers along the country’s coast as part of research by future master builders. The Arctic Transport and Energy Highway originates in the Northwestern region of Russia, starting from the seaport of Ust–Luga. The routes passes through the Leningrad and Arkhangelsk regions, the Polar regions of European Russia, Siberia, Chukotka, and ends in Alaska via the Bering Strait, thereby connecting two continents. The structure of this highway includes an overhead power line with a voltage of 330 kV running along its entire length on common load-bearing structures. This line will connect to the main electric networks of the country, including the floating power plant Akademik Lomonosov in the port of Pevek. South of Gatchina in the Leningrad Region, a large Transport Interchange Hub is proposed, where an urban high-speed transportation highway from St. Petersburg will connect to the highway. The results of scientific research on the layout and architectural design of transportation hubs are presented.

Aim. The aim of this study is the development of a high-speed transport and energy highway in the Arctic zone, based on the widespread use of electric transportation.

Materials and Methods. The highway route was built, and trestle structures were designed to handle combinations of operating loads, forces and influences. These designs account for dynamic aspects and nonlinearity, using software such as SAP2000, SCAD Office, and Lira.

Results. Preliminary technical and economic indicators show that the duration of cargo delivery along the Arctic Expressway to the Bering Strait is reduced by 5.5 times compared to the Northern Sea Route, and passenger travel time is reduced by almost 30 times. However, the projected expressway is almost 1.6 times longer owing to the need to bypass high coastal mountain ranges.

Conclusion. These studies confirm the feasibility of using evacuated tube transportation and maglev technologies for the Arctic high-speed transportation highway. Future research will consider tunnel mining and underwater pipelines, which will allow for extended rectilinear sections exceeding 1000 km. This would reduce the total length of the Arctic transportation and energy highway, decrease transportation duration for passengers and cargo, and minimize the number of transportation hubs.