Economic megaprojects

I've done some research into the big transportation and infrastructure project in southern Mexico - focused around the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán - and it seems very interesting to me. The port is designed to handle a vast quantity of cargo that will then be shipped north into the middle of the US via proposed new railways and roadways. The Mexican government also wants to build a string of air facilities and highway links around Lázaro Cárdenas, as part of a grand economic development strategy.

What's interesting about this is the way that the new plans mostly avoid major cities - land is too expensive Take for example the proposed new network of wide motorways across Texas - they would carve a wide arc around major cities like Dallas. The focus is on shipment and distribution - goods can be taken off the trunk lines into cities, but the trunk lines themselves try to avoid hitting cities directly.

Are there other economic megaprojects around the world focused on this model? I know that Thailand would like to build a canal zone across the Isthmus of Kra, and build a wide new transit network that would go from the canal toward Bangkok, and then all over southeast asia.

On a global scale, the airport and cargo facilities at Dubai are designed to make commerce links more efficient and faster. Dubai's air hub "unbends" routes that previously had to transfer through London or Frankfurt - for example, air links between African cities and China.>