El Puerto Del Mediterraneo

Quay Constructions. Owing to the existing soil conditions it would be a relatively costly affair to build the quay structures in dry working pits more than 39 ft. deep. Therefore proposals I to IV suppose the construction to be performed without dry excavation to full depth, while the proposals V to VIII suppose the basins to be excavated before the quay is built. According to proposals I to III the front wall is formed by a tight reinforced-concrete sheet piling of somewhat varying construction. The sheet piles are rammed and flushed into the ground by the water-jet process. The sheet piling supports a heavy quay wall of concrete, and in order to make the construction more stable the sheet piling is connected to a ho- rizontal reinforced-concrete anchoring plate which is cast together with rammed reinforced-concrete piles. In proposal IV the sheet piling is drawn back from the face of the quay, and the quay wall rests on heavy piers constructed as open caissons sunk down to a depth of about 46 feet. In proposals V to VIII the quay constructions are built as reinforced-concrete caissons. The caissons are cast for in- stance in an interimistic dry-dock and towed from there to the site where they are sunk on to a levelled base of pebbles and then filled with concrete and sand. In order to secure the caissons against sliding on the base special steps will be taken for solidifying the pebble foundation by means of cement mortar. Railroads. A very important feature in planning a new harbour, especially of the magnitude here concerned, is the design of the railroad net required to enable the transport of goods to and from the harbour to be effected economically. The railroad lines are located in such a manner that they will not be in the way of later extensions of the harbour, and provision is made for convenient connections with the existing railroad lines, also in the case of future extensions, and the possible extensions of the individual groups of tracks has been taken into account. For the operation of the railways a definite plan has been fixed securing a minimum waste of time by switching etc. The commercial and industrial districts are se- parated as well as the track systems serving the same, and each group of tracks has its own functions. All level crossings between main tracks and main roads of access to the harbour have been avoided, and finally it may be mentioned that no turntables are used. Streets and Roads. The street and road-system of the harbour is designed in such a manner that the vehicles may reach their points of destination, whether quay, warehouse, coal yard, grain silo or factory, by the shortest possible way, and convenient con- nections with the existing street system are provided. In the present case railroad tracks separate the harbour from the city and its street system, and it is therefore necessary to provide a series of roads of access to the Free-Port district. These roads which will have to carry a very heavy traffic must not cross any main track on the same level, and they are there- fore all directed either below or above the railroad line. 20