Abstract
One of the most ambitious projects in the end of the 20th century was to create a tunnel undersea to connect France and the United Kingdom. In 1880, the construction began according to the scheme of Aimé Thomé de Gamond but the Great Depression halted the progress. Next, the project "Eurotunnel? reappeared in 1986 and was chosen among four projects to connect the both countries. It is the longest tunnel undersea in the world. Its work began in 1994 with a delay of 18 months. Since its inauguration, it has transported 212 million passengers. Everyday, 26 000 passengers and 50 000 t of wares pass by this tunnel. The tunnel is exploited by two companies, one Eurotunnel SA is French, and the other Eurotunnel plc is British. Both the companies have an exploitation concession up to 2086 since 2006.
