10 Of The Longest Running Construction Projects

Here are 10 of the longest running construction projects.

Some large building projects are especially prone to delays and those can be caused by any number of circumstances. Others are just destined to drag on from the start.
Here are 10 of the longest running construction endeavors out there.
Number 10. La Sagrada Familia. Begun in 1882, the Barcelona cathedral has encountered a number of setbacks. After a falling out with the original architect, it was handed over to Antoni Gaudí and would become his masterpiece. Gaudí’s untimely death and a fire that destroyed all of his plans, drawings and sketches also slowed the process. Numerous architects have signed on to finish the job, and it’s believed the building will be complete in 2026. 
Number 9. New York City Water Tunnel Number 3. If finished in 2021 as planned, the system upgrade will have been 51 years in the making. Once completed it will deliver over a billion gallons of water a day to about 9 million New York City residents. 
Number 8. 2nd Avenue Subway. Officials of the Big Apple have been working on this rail line since the late 1920s. Estimates back then had it opening sometime between 1938 and 1941 and at a cost of 86 million dollars. Recent predictions see completion possibly occurring as early as 2018. The price of making it happen has gone up to 5.7 billion. 
Number 7. South-North Water Diversion. The goal is to supply China’s arid northern areas with water drawn from the country’s southern reaches. The planning stage of the very ambitious project stretched on for 50 years, and it’s believed construction will take nearly as long. Work has been underway since 2002, and the estimated completion date is in 2050. 
Number 6. Great Man-Made River Project. Libya is among the driest nations in the world, but thankfully while drilling for oil a very large water supply was found. Getting to it and piping it to where it’s needed is no small task. Finishing up the project, which was begun in 1984, will likely take another quarter of a century. 
Number 5. Gotthard Base Tunnel. It’s understandable that what’s going to become the world’s longest train tunnel is taking a good amount of time to build. Further, making it happen requires digging a giant hole beneath the Alps that extends from Germany to Italy. Workers have already put in around 17 years but may have as little as 1-and-a-half more to go. 
Number 4. The 10 Thousand Year Clock. Amazon-dot-com founder Jeff Bezos is spearheading the building of a clock that will run, as its name suggests, for 10 thousand years. There are no estimates as to when it will be up and ticking, but it’s not expected to be soon. 
Number 3.California High Speed Train. On January 6th of 2015 ground was broken for what is the United States’ very first foray into bullet trains.  It will eventually travel between San Francisco and Los Angeles, but don’t rush out and buy a ticket. The line isn’t expected to be operational until about 2029.
Number 2. Nuclear Fusion Reactors. The race is on to be the first entity to make a very compact energy source that can power tens of thousands of homes, but it’s not a very fast one. The need for such a thing was recognized many years ago,  and those working to make it a fully functioning reality say they’re still at least 10 to 20 years away from doing so.  
Number 1. UK’s High Speed 2 Rail Project. Upon its proposal in 2013, the anticipated timeline for the endeavor was 20 years. Included in that estimate were a number of possible delays, but it appears the project has already run into some unanticipated snags involving routes and funding approval. 
Which long-enduring project would you most like to see finished?