List of top 10 most expensive completed construction projects in the world as of 2019.

1. Most Expensive
Construction Projects
Completed
Nishchal Khatri

2. THE CHANNEL TUNNEL
(UK / FRANCE)
US $22.4 Billion

3. • 50.5 KM Rail Tunnel which
carries high-speed Eurostar
passenger trains
• Also a Eurotunnel Shuttle for
road vehicles
• Crossing takes 35 minutes.
• Construction began in 1988
and opened in 1994.
• Was the most expensive
construction project in the
world in 1988 at £5.5 billion
• The cost finally in 1994
amounted to £9 billion
($13.5 billion), well over its
predicted budget

4. Eurotunnel Shuttle

5. THE BIG DIG (USA)
US $23 Billion
*2019 Adjusted for Inflation

6. • Re-routing some major
highways in the Boston area
(built in the 1930s) to go directly
beneath the heart of the city via
a Tunnel
• Plagued by cost overruns,
delays, leaks, design flaws,
charges of poor execution and
use of substandard materials,
criminal arrests and one death.
• Scheduled to be completed in
1998.
• Completed 10 years behind
schedule in 2008.
• The Big Dig was the most expensive and toughest highway project in the US.
• Officially called Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T)

7. • The project replaced Boston’s six-lane elevated Highway that ran
through the center of downtown with an underground eight to
ten-lane highway, and added two new bridges over the Charles
River.
• The Project cost was estimated at $2.8 billion (in 1982 dollars,
US$6.0 billion adjusted for inflation as of 2006). However, the
project was completed in December 2007 at a cost of over $14.6
billion ($8.08 billion in 1982 dollars, meaning a cost overrun of
about 190%) as of 2006. The project cost $23 Billion including
interest.

8. Kansai International
Airport (Japan)
US $25 Billion
*2019 Adjusted for Inflation

9. • BUILT ON RECLAIMED LAND 4 km
LONG and 2.5 km WIDE
CONSTRUCTED TO RESIST SEMI
FREQUENT EARTHQUAKES and
AVOID NOISE COMPLAINTS.
• ISLAND HAS SUNK 8.2M SINCE
COMPLETION
• SUPPORT COLUMNS AND PIERS
ADDED TO REDUCE SINKING
• THE AIRPORT IS IN DEBT.
• 3RD BUSIEST AIRPORT IN JAPAN
30TH BUSIEST IN THE WORLD
• HAS THE LONGEST AIRPORT
TERMINAL IN THE WORLD AT 1.7
KMS
Progress From April 1978 To June 2008

10. Hong Kong International
Airport (Hong Kong)
US $31 Billion
*2019 Adjusted for Inflation

11. • BUILT ON RECLAIMED LAND
• WORLD'S LARGEST PASSENGER
TERMINAL BUILDINGS
• WORLD'S BUSIEST AIRPORT BY
CARGO TRAFFIC
• TWO RUNWAYS
• 3.8 KM LONG
• COMMENCED IN 1998
• 1,255 HECTARES
• OF SITE AREA
• NIJGADH
• (2500HECTARES)

12. Beijing – Shanghai High
Speed Railway (China)
US $38 Billion
*2019 Adjusted for Inflation

13. • 1,318 KM Long High speed
Railway
• Connects Beijing and Shanghai
• Two types of trains FAST
(300kmph) taking 4hr 48mins
and SLOW (250kmph) making
affordability with more stops
• Construction began in 2008
and completed in 2011
• 130,000 construction workers
and engineers were at work at
the peak of the construction

14. THREE GORGES DAM
(China)
US$43 Billion
*2019 Adjusted for Inflation

15. • World’s LARGEST Hydroelectric Dam produces 22,500 MW
• Produces energy of more than 5 nuclear power plants
• Took 16years of construction and has 26 generators. There are 32 main turbines
• Each Turbine has the capacity of 700MW
• There are 32 main turbines
• Cost US$37 Billion to build (2009)
• Area Flooded 1084 km2 Length 2.36KM

16. ITAIPU DAM
(Brazil/Paraguay)
US $47.3 Billion
*2019 Adjusted for Inflation

17. • Height: 738 feet (225m)
• Length: 4.8 miles (7.2km)
• Finished: May 5, 1984
• Cost: $18 billon ($47 billion) in
2019
• Capacity of 14000 MW
• Location: Paraná River
between Brazil and Paraguay
• Largest power plant in terms of
Annual Production 103.1 TWhr
• Area Flooded: 1350 km2
• (Kathmandu Area 570 km2)

18. KASHAGAN OIL FIELDS
(Kazakhstan)
US $128 Billion
*2019 Adjusted for Inflation

19. • GIANT OFFSHORE OIL
FIELD IN THE CASPIAN SEA
• CONTROLLED BY
KAZHAKHISTAN
• LARGEST OIL FIELD
DISCOVERY OF THE PAST 40
YEARS
• ESTIMATED 13 BILLION
BARRELS OF RECOVERABLE
RESERVES OF CRUDE OIL
(11TH HIGHEST)
• CHINA’S 1ST DIRECT OIL
IMPORT FROM THIS FIELD

20. INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION (ISS)
US $175 Billion
*2019 Adjusted for Inflation

21. • MOST EXPENSIVE SINGLE ITEM EVER BUILT
• ORBITS AT AN ALTITUDE OF OVER 300KM AT A SPEED OF 28,000 KMPH
• 16 COUNTRIES INVOLVED IN CONSTRUCTION
• US, RUSSIA,JAPAN,EU AND CANADA ARE MAJOR PARTNERS
• HOLDS 6 CREW MEMBERS
• ASSEMBLED PIECE BY PIECE IN ORBIT

22. US INTERSTATE HIGHWAY
SYSTEM (USA)
$521 Billion (2018)
*2018 Adjusted for Inflation

23. • NETWORK OF CONTROLLED-ACCESS
HIGHWAYS THAT FORMS PART OF
THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY SYSTEM IN
THE UNITED STATES
• TOTAL LENGTH OF 77,540 KMS
• STARTED IN 1956 AND TOOK 35
YEARS FOR CONSTRUCTION
• THE INITIAL COST ESTIMATE FOR THE
SYSTEM WAS $25 BILLION OVER 12
YEARS; IT ENDED UP COSTING $114
BILLION OVER BUDGET

30. END OF SLIDE
THANK YOU
NISHCHAL KHATRI
khatri.nishchal@gmail.com