115. Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
Location: Akashi Strait, Japan
Total Cost: $4.3 Billion*
Year Finished: 1998
The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, famously known as the Pearl Bridge or the Akashi Strait Bridge, was the longest suspension edifice in the world upon its inauguration on April 5, 1998. It is a whopping 12,831 feet long with three spans and is truly a sight to behold.
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge ©Matt Roberts/Getty Images
But the bridge stands gloriously in a seismically unstable region and experiences some of the worst storms in the world. But that does not affect the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge because it is built on an intricate system of pendulums, counterweights, and steel-truss girders that help the bridge withstand winds up to 180 miles per hour.
116. Underground Atlanta Redevelopment
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Total Cost: $1.2 Billion*
Year Finished: Ongoing
The Underground Atlanta Redevelopment project is an entertainment and shopping district adoring the FivePoints neighborhood of downtown Atlanta. The project entails an entire re-positioning and redeveloping of the property into a mixed community with retail and office buildings.
Underground Atlanta Redevelopment @Atlanta Skyline Tracker/Facebook
It is underway, and the $1.2 billion cost is bound to rejuvenate this district once completed. It will reconnect neighborhoods that the federal interstate system split in the 1960s and will also include new spaces such as Emory Square (a plaza complex), Peachtree Green (a three-acre park), and a mixed-use area right next to Georgia Power’s headquarters.
117. Kölnbrein Dam, Austria
Location: Austria
Total Cost: $154 Million*
Year Finished: 1979
1979 marked the completion of Austria’s tallest dam, the Kölnbrein arch dam in the Hohe Tauern range, located at a height of 660 feet. Despite its mind-boggling appearance, the structure has more value than just aesthetic pleasure: its reservoirs are the primary storage of a three-stage pump-storage power system comprising four hydroelectric power plants, nine dams, and a number of penstocks and pipelines.
Kölnbrein Dam, Austria ©Verbund/Wikimedia Commons
Owned by the Verbund power company, this gigantic structure generates 1,216 gigawatt-hours (4,380 TJ) of power a year, with an installed group capacity of 1,028.5 MW.
118. Capitol Visitor Center
Location: USA
Total Cost: $621 Million*
Year Finished: 2008
Located between the globally known Capitol building and 1st Street East, the United States Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) is an underground extension of the United States Capitol Complex. This popular tourist site can accommodate up to 4,000 people and serves as an expansion space for the United States Congress.
Capitol Visitor Center ©Jakub Zajic/Shutterstock
But this project is not as humble as it sounds: with more than 580,000 square feet of space underneath the three floors, it cost a whopping $621 million. Hundreds of thousands make their way to this complex every year, and it is a popular political tourist site for activists.
119. City of Dreams
Location: Macau, China
Total Cost: $2.4 Billion*
Year Finished: 2009
With over 3 separate casinos, 4 hotels, and 30 high-end restaurants, the City of Dreams is a true Mega Casino complex. Completed in 2009, the City of Dreams has over 175,000 square feet of retail space, five hotel towers, and 2270 rooms.
City of Dreams, Macau ©WiNG/Wikimedia Commons
The most striking feature of the City of Dreams is not its 4 high-end hotels or sprawling shopping district but rather the Dancing Water Theatre. The theater hosts the critically acclaimed The House of Dancing Water show in of the largest pools in the world, containing 3.7 million gallons of water. There is also a massive Kids’ City where parents can plan parties for their kids, hire trained child supervisors and even attend music events.
120. Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor
Location: New Jersey, United States
Total Cost: $2.5 Billion*
Year Finished: 1989
The Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor is a device straight out of a sci-fi movie. This experimental tokamak was constructed at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in 1980. Its primary objective was simple: helping mankind touch scientific breakeven, a point of equivalence between the external heat supplied to the plasma and the internal heat produced by fusion reactions in that heated plasma.
Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor ©Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory/Wikimedia commons
The structure cost around $2.5 billion yet was never able to reach its goal. But it did perform another one: it became the world’s first magnetic fusion device that produced 10 MW of fusion power. The tokamak was laid to rest after 15 years of service.
121. Gotthard Base Tunnel
Location: Switzerland
Total Cost: $12 Billion*
Year Finished: 2016
Switzerland looks like the backdrop of your favorite Disney movie, and so does its Gotthard Base Tunnel. This railway line runs through the mighty Swiss Alps on a route length of 35 miles. As the world’s deepest traffic and longest railway tunnel, it is truly a wonder of the world.
Gotthard Base Tunnel ©Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images
Located at the heart of the Gotthard axis, the base tunnel offers the first low-level, flat route through the Alps. The tunnel’s primary objective is to increase the Alpine barrier’s local transport capacity and shift freight volume to trains instead of environmentally hazardous heavy trucks.
122. Global Seed Vault
Location: Svalbard, Norway
Total Cost: $9 Million*
Year Finished: 2008
The Global Seed Vault is perhaps mankind’s best preservation decision. Located in Norway, this vault safeguards 1,214,827 seed samples from almost every country around the globe as a backup gene bank. This project is the ultimate food supply insurance policy for the coming generations, offering them a ray of hope to combat population growth and climate change.
Global Seed Vault ©Marcin Kadziolka/Shutterstock
All seeds are stored in custom-made three-ply foil packages and sealed in boxes at an optimal −18°C temperature and low-moisture conditions that reduce metabolic activity. The permafrost and thick rocks ensure the seeds remain safely frozen and viable even without power.
123. Shanghai Disneyland
Location: Shanghai, China
Total Cost: $5.5 Billion*
Year Finished: 2016
Disneyland permeates the dreams of kids and adults alike, but China’s Disneyland is one step ahead of everything we know about this playground. With a cost of a whopping $5.5 billion, Shanghai’s Disneyland is a joint venture between Shendi and The Walt Disney Company.
Shanghai Disneyland ©Hu Chengwei/Getty Images
The park took five years to complete and saw 5.60 million attendees in its first six months. It spans over 2.4 miles and currently offers seven beautifully themed areas: Tomorrowland, Toy Story Land, Fantasyland, Mickey Avenue, Treasure Cove, Adventure Isle, and the Gardens of Imagination.
124. Yas Marina Circuit
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Total Cost: $1.3 Billion*
Year Finished: 2009
Yas Marina is where the real action takes place. Host of the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the UAE’s most iconic motorsports venue, Yas Marina’s hypnotic swooping and straights are always filled with adrenaline and swooping cars that zoom by in the blink of an eye.
Yas Marina Circuit ©Sergey Kelin/Shutterstock
It is among the most popular sports sites in the world and attracts thousands of fanatics every year to witness circuit racing, drag racing, and even karting. The Circuit has hosted the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2009 and is widely loved for its exceptional views from the five main stands.
125. National Stadium Beijing
Location: Beijing, China
Total Cost: $422 Million*
Year Finished: 2007
An icon for the city of Beijing, China’s National Stadium is truly a striking sight to behold with its dynamic form and utopian circular structure that represents “heaven.” The National Aquatics Center’s square form, located right next to this metaphorical heaven, embodies the Chinese symbol of Earth.
National Stadium Beijing ©Ovchinnikova Irina/Shutterstock
Recognized all over the globe for its metaphysical build, the structure is often described as a “bird’s nest” with an advanced geometrical structure inspired by the Chinese-style “crazed pottery.” It cost no less than $422 million to build, but it is truly a great adornment for Earth.