Tyne Tunnel
 |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Start | Jarrow |
| End | Howdon |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1951 |
| Owner | North East Combined Authority |
| Operator | TT2 Ltd |
| Traffic | Pedestrian and Cycle |
 |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Route | A19 |
| Start | Jarrow |
| End | Howdon |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1967 |
| Owner | North East Combined Authority |
| Operator | TT2 Ltd |
| Traffic | Automotive |
| Toll | £1.70 (Cars) |
| Technical | |
| No. of lanes | 2 |
| Operating speed | 30 mph |
|
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Route | A19 |
| Start | Jarrow |
| End | Howdon |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 2011 |
| Owner | North East Combined Authority |
| Operator | TT2 Ltd |
| Traffic | Automotive |
| Toll | £1.70 (Cars) |
| Technical | |
| No. of lanes | 2 |
| Operating speed | 40 mph |
The Tyne Tunnel is the name given to two 2-lane vehicular toll tunnels under the River Tyne in North East England. Completed in 1967 and 2011 respectively, they connect the town of Jarrow on the south bank of the river with North Shields and Howdon on the northern end. The original tunnel was one of three forming the original Tyne Tunnel Project; the others are the pedestrian and cyclist tunnels opened in 1951. The tunnels are 7 miles (11 km) downstream and to the east of Newcastle upon Tyne and form part of the A19 road.
A scheme for the construction of a set of three tunnels under the Tyne was put forward by the Durham and Northumberland County Councils in 1937. After prolonged negotiations with the Ministry of Transport, the scheme was approved in 1943. The Tyne Tunnel Act, the legislative instrument necessary to enable the construction of the tunnels, received Royal Assent in 1946. Postwar restrictions on capital expenditure delayed the construction of the vehicular tunnel, but work started on the smaller tunnels for pedestrians and cyclists in 1947.
Tyne Cyclist and Pedestrian Tunnel was Britain's first purpose-built cycling tunnel. It runs under the River Tyne between Howdon and Jarrow, and was opened in 1951, heralded as a contribution to the Festival of Britain. The original cost was £833,000 and the tunnel was used by 20,000 people a day. It actually consists of two tunnels running in parallel, one for pedestrian use with a 10 feet 6 inches (3.2 m) diameter, and a larger 12 feet (3.7 m) diameter tunnel for pedal cyclists. Both tunnels are 900 feet (270 m) in length, and lie 40 feet (12.2 m) below the river bed. The tunnels are over 60 years old and are Grade II listed buildings.
At each end, the tunnels are connected to surface buildings by two escalators and a lift. The Waygood-Otis escalators have 306 wooden steps each, and are the original models from 1951. At the time of construction, they were the highest single-rise escalators in the UK, with a vertical rise of 85 feet (26 m) and a length of 197 feet (60 m). In 1992. escalators with a higher vertical rise of 90 feet (27.4 m) and 200 feet (61 m) in length were constructed at Angel station on the London Underground. The Tyne Tunnel escalators remain the longest wooden escalators in the world.
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Wikipedia