Description 5.9 Research the building of the tunnel under the English Channel in the late twentieth century. (a) What risks might have been present with this project? (b) What successful activities were undertaken to mitigate these risks that led to the tunnel’s completion? Respond to this student: Before building the English Channel, several risks had to be put into consideration. However; the project still went on to be completed. To manage the risks, the following options were considered; acceptance, avoidance, transfer, and mitigation. The risk of uncertainty hugely characterized the project. Ridership is a situation where neither the engineers nor the economists can figure out what can make the project work. This was the first project of its type and there was nowhere to benchmark. One way in which that risk was dealt with was through acceptance. Another risk that was associated with the project is the fact that no one wanted to associate with the project. People thought that it was a huge mistake; it was going to be a massive accident because it has no safety record. By offering incentives, People started getting to the project. Natural occurrences. Nature is something that cannot be controlled, and it can strike at any time. Therefore; the channel was built but with a strong conviction that a disaster would not happen any time soon. The risks of accidents. One of the possible accidents that could happen is when a submarine collides with tunnels. Stringent measures were put in place to control accidents as much as possible. The use of technology was helpful in this scenario. The viability of the venture was not there. Most people thought that the railway would bring unnecessary competition to other means of transport that were fully functional.