Return to Gemcell:
Click here.

They built what?! Unusual infrastructure projects revealed

July 4, 2025
They built what?! Unusual infrastructure projects revealed

Overambitious infrastructure projects that may have looked good on paper, but simply shouldn’t have become reality.

On the Isle of Lewis in the Scottish Outer Hebrides lies the Bridge to Nowhere. Today, you get to the bridge at the end of a road on the north-east side of the island – and there’s nothing on the other end of it. The bridge was part of an early 20th Century scheme by Lord Leverhulme (who founded soap manufacturer Lever Brothers) to revolutionise the lives of the inhabitants of Lewis by building a road from the village of Tolsta to Ness. But, due to a number of factors, he didn’t. 

The Bridge to Nowhere, Scotland

Ciudad Real Central Airport, Spain’s first private international airport opened in 2009, at a cost of €1.1 billion, and it had already been beset by a few problems, including being located in a Bird Special Protection Area and in the middle of an inactive volcanic field, which delayed opening for five years. Location seems to have been the biggest issue – it’s right in the middle of the country, but close to nothing in particular, and when a planned high-speed rail link between Madrid and Seville failed to go ahead, the project was scuppered. The airport was sold in 2016, and has been used for some general aviation activity, but nothing involving passengers.  

Ciudad Real Central Airport, Spain

Built in the 1950s in Caracas, El Helicoide was to be the world’s first drive-thru shopping mall, with ramps spiralling up to 300 boutiques. The concept was conceived in the post-WW2 book under the military dictatorship of Marcos Perez Jimenez – and when construction was finished, it could be seen from everywhere in Caracas. However, Jimenez was overthrown before it could be completed and opened, and it stood dormant for years. Instead of being a symbol of decadence and modernity, it was repurposed as a prison in the 80s, and is still used as such today.

El Helicoide, Venezuela

If you’re a parent, you can tell when things are designed or created for kids by non-parents. The age targeting isn’t right. The idea is completely impractical. Or something else just makes the creation unusable. Case in point, the Pier 1 Playground in New York. This playground was opened in the late 2000s, and featured a whole load of climbing equipment made of steel. Looked great. Problem was, when the sun came out, the steel heated up, with temperatures enabling people to literally fry eggs. Needless to say, the playground was quickly revamped.

When you hear the word ‘monorail’, two things come to mind – Sydney, and The Simpsons. And while Lyle Langley has never been seen on Australian shores (nothing reported, anyway), the lingering feeling a decade or so after the monorail was dismantled is similar. The eight-stop, 3.6km monorail was launched in 1988 to connect the city and Darling Harbour, and won out over the light rail as the new transport option for the city. Even before it was launched, it faced serious opposition – Lord Mayor Clover Moore described it as “the most offensive structure to assault our city since the Cahill Expressway”, while architect Harry Seidler called it “the most tragic thing that happened to the urban fabric of Sydney”. The $50 million project closed in 2013 after making 70 million passenger trips in 25 years – a figure some single Sydney train lines get close to in a single year. Mono-d’oh.

Simpsons – Monorail Song

Monorail, Sydney

Latest

Innovation in electrical and data cable

Electrical and data cables generally go unnoticed – until something goes wrong, of course. But behind the scenes, innovation in cable is paramount in order to deal with the infrastructure needs of today, and the demands of tomorrow. As large-scale infrastructure projects grow and grow, so too does the technological innovation required to support them. [...]<p><a class="btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link" href="https://gemcell.com.au/news/electrical-data-cable-innovation/">Read More...<span class="screen-reader-text"> from Innovation in electrical and data cable</span></a></p>

PowerPlus Wagga Wagga – powering community values

The year is 1985. We are the World was number one on the Australian singles chart, Allan Border continued his reign as captain of the cricket team and Back to the Future drew massive crowds of moviegoers countrywide.   As for Chris Ferguson, he was busy applying for a warehouse position at TLE Electrical. Even then, [...]<p><a class="btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link" href="https://gemcell.com.au/news/powerplus-wagga-electrical-wholesaler/">Read More...<span class="screen-reader-text"> from PowerPlus Wagga Wagga – powering community values</span></a></p>

Australian infrastructure projects – what’s happening, and why?

Australian infrastructure projects The Australian infrastructure projects that have been completed, the projects that are underway, and the factors affecting how quickly we can move. The continuing development of our towns, cities, transport systems and energy supply is essential – after all, building infrastructure anywhere is never a ‘once and done’ kind of job. But [...]<p><a class="btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link" href="https://gemcell.com.au/news/australian-infrastructure-projects/">Read More...<span class="screen-reader-text"> from Australian infrastructure projects – what’s happening, and why?</span></a></p>

The Infrastructure Issue

Out Now

The Infrastructure Issue

Current Issue

The Infrastructure Issue

JUN - JUL 2025

The Infrastructure Issue

Past Issues

View all
  • The Heritage Issue

    Issue 186

    The Heritage Issue

    APR - MAY 2025

  • The Resources Issue

    Issue 185

    The Resources Issue

    FEB - MAR 2025

  • The Renovation Issue

    Issue 184

    The Renovation Issue

    DEC 2024 - JAN 2025

  • The Showtime Issue

    Issue 183

    The Showtime Issue

    OCT - NOV 2024

  • The Bias Issue

    Issue 182

    The Bias Issue

    AUG - SEPT 2024

  • The Distance Issue

    Issue 181

    The Distance Issue

    JUN - JUL 2024

  • The Growth Issue

    Issue 180

    The Growth Issue

    APR - MAY 2024

  • The Workfit Issue

    Issue 179

    The Workfit Issue

    FEB - MARCH 2024

  • The Fire and Water Issue

    Issue 178

    The Fire and Water Issue

    DEC 2023 - JAN 2024

  • The Multi-Res Issue

    Issue 177

    The Multi-Res Issue

    OCT - NOV 2023

  • The Cost of Living Issue

    Issue 176

    The Cost of Living Issue

    AUG - SEPT 2023

  • The Winter Issue

    Issue 175

    The Winter Issue

    JUN - JUL 2023

  • The Light Issue

    Issue 174

    The Light Issue

    APR - MAY 2023

  • The Security Issue

    Issue 173

    The Security Issue

    FEB - MAR 2023

  • The Summer Issue

    Issue 172

    The Summer Issue

    DEC 2022 - JAN 2023

  • The Change Issue

    Issue 171

    The Change Issue

    OCT - NOV 2022

  • The E-Issue

    Issue 170

    The E-Issue

    AUG - SEPT 2022

  • The Future Living Issue

    Issue 169

    The Future Living Issue

    JUN - JUL 2022

  • The Transport Issue

    Issue 168

    The Transport Issue

    APR - MAY 2022

  • The Local Issue

    Issue 167

    The Local Issue

    FEB - MAR 2022

  • The Human Issue

    Issue 166

    The Human Issue

    DEC 2021 - JAN 2022

  • The Branding Issue

    Issue 165

    The Branding Issue

    OCT - NOV 2021

  • The Positivity Issue

    Issue 164

    The Positivity Issue

    AUG - SEPT 2021

  • The ‘Not My Fault’ Issue

    Issue 163

    The ‘Not My Fault’ Issue

    JUN - JUL 2021

  • The Fault Issue

    Issue 162

    The Fault Issue

    APR - MAY 2021

  • The Power Issue

    Issue 161

    The Power Issue

    FEB - MAR 2021

  • The Summer Issue

    Issue 160

    The Summer Issue

    DEC 2020 - JAN 2021

  • The Care Issue

    Issue 159

    The Care Issue

    OCT - NOV 2020

  • The Recreation Issue

    Issue 158

    The Recreation Issue

    AUG - SEPT 2020

  • The Recovery Issue

    Issue 157

    The Recovery Issue

    JUN - JUL 2022

  • The Solar Issue

    Issue 156

    The Solar Issue

    APR - MAY 2020

  • The Bigger Business Issue

    Issue 155

    The Bigger Business Issue

    FEB - MAR 2020

  • The Big Business Issue

    Issue 154

    The Big Business Issue

    DEC 2019 - JAN 2020

  • The Elsewhere Issue

    Issue 153

    The Elsewhere Issue

    OCT - NOV 2019

  • The Protection Issue

    Issue 152

    The Protection Issue

    AUG - SEPT 2019

  • The Emissions Issue

    Issue 151

    The Emissions Issue

    JUN - JUL 2019

  • The Retro Fit Issue

    Issue 150

    The Retro Fit Issue

    APR - MAY 2019

  • The Retail and Hospitality Issue

    Issue 149

    The Retail and Hospitality Issue

    FEB - MAR 2019

  • The Bush Issue

    Issue 148

    The Bush Issue

    DEC 2018 - JAN 2019

  • The Training Issue

    Issue 147

    The Training Issue

    OCT - NOV 2018

  • The Connected Home Issue

    Issue 146

    The Connected Home Issue

    AUG - SEPT 2018

  • The Virtual Reality Issue

    Issue 145

    The Virtual Reality Issue

    JUN - JUL 2018

  • The Wiring Devices Issue

    Issue 144

    The Wiring Devices Issue

    APR - MAY 2018

  • The Entertainment Issue

    Issue 143

    The Entertainment Issue

    FEB - MAR 2018

  • The Transport Issue

    Issue 142

    The Transport Issue

    DEC 2016 - JAN 2017

  • The Institution Issue

    Issue 141

    The Institution Issue

    OCT- NOV 2017

  • The Behind the Meter Issue

    Issue 140

    The Behind the Meter Issue

    AUG - SEPT 2017

  • The Winter Issue

    Issue 139

    The Winter Issue

    JUN - JUL 2017

  • The Project Issue

    Issue 138

    The Project Issue

    APR - MAY 2017

  • The Australia Issue

    Issue 137

    The Australia Issue

    FEB - MAR 2017

  • The Disaster Issue

    Issue 136

    The Disaster Issue

    DEC 2016 - JAN 2017

  • The Outdoor Issue

    Issue 135

    The Outdoor Issue

    OCT - NOV 2017

  • The People Issue

    Issue 134

    The People Issue

    AUG - SEPT 2016

  • The Environment Issue

    Issue 133

    The Environment Issue

    JUN - JUL 2016

  • The Safety Issue

    Issue 132

    The Safety Issue

    APR - MAY 2016

  • The Wireless Issue

    Issue 131

    The Wireless Issue

    FEB - MAR 2016

  • The Tools Issue

    Issue 130

    The Tools Issue

    DEC 2015 - JAN 2016

  • The Cable Issue

    Issue 129

    The Cable Issue

    OCT - NOV 2015

  • The LED Issue

    Issue 128

    The LED Issue

    AUG - SEPT 2015

  • The Smart Issue

    Issue 127

    The Smart Issue

    JUN - JUL 2015

  • The ANZAC Issue

    Issue 125

    The ANZAC Issue

    APR - MAY 2015

  • The Australia Issue

    Issue 125

    The Australia Issue

    FEB - MAR 2015

  • The Future Issue

    Issue 124

    The Future Issue

    DEC 2014 - JAN 2015

  • The Renovation Issue

    Issue 123

    The Renovation Issue

    OCT - NOV 2014

  • The Industry Issue

    Issue 122

    The Industry Issue

    AUG - SEPT 2014

  • The Future Shock Issue

    Issue 121

    The Future Shock Issue

    JUN - JUL 2014

  • The Light Issue

    Issue 120

    The Light Issue

    APR - MAY 2014

  • The Green Issue

    Issue 119

    The Green Issue

    FEB - MAR 2014

  • The Press Reset Issue

    Issue 118

    The Press Reset Issue

    DEC 2013 - JAN 2014

  • The Safety Issue

    Issue 117

    The Safety Issue

    OCT - NOV 2013

  • The Business Boot Camp Issue

    Issue 116

    The Business Boot Camp Issue

    AUG - SEPT 2013

The Infrastructure Issue

Explore Electrical Gems