Recent event: The New Tyne Tunnel Crossing
Review by John Penn
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The New Tyne Tunnel Under Construction.
Photo supplied by TT2
Where is Percy Park? – ah, there it is –odd, the car-park is empty – oh, this is the rugby club – PPRC, this must be it – one, very small, parking space left – shoehorn in – exit via passenger door. Inside - warm welcome from the Committee members – upstairs, enormous room – long bar - well this is a rugby club - good to have a wider choice of drinks – thank goodness, proper chairs, not plastic. Friendly chat with neighbouring chairs while we are waiting – why are we waiting? – oh, the computer did not like having red wine spilt on it. But a replacement soon arrives, and we are off on a journey through the New Tyne Tunnel. And what better guide could we have had than Trevor Jackson, the managing director of TT2, the company responsible for the design, part financing, construction, operation, and maintenance not only of this tunnel, but of the about to be refurbished existing vehicular, cycle, and pedestrian tunnels. Statistics flowed like the Tyne in spate: the construction cost was £260,000.000; the contract documents took up two metres of shelf space; there were 5000 contract drawings; there was a 100% safety record during construction; the second largest dredger in the world was used to form the trench for the submerged section of the tunnel.
Trevor then described and illustrated the major phases of the work: the different construction methods which were necessary because of the varying ground conditions through which the tunnel passed on the land; the ingenious methods of floating and placing on the river bed the precast concrete tunnel sections, which had been cast in a redundant dry dock which was conveniently close to the site; and the major alterations to the road network at the entrances, during which the existing tunnel had only been closed on two occasions. The neighbourhoods adjacent to the tunnel approaches had inevitably suffered some disruption and a considerable effort was made to involve and inform the residents. It was comforting to learn that both tunnels will now be the safest in the UK. TT2 will have 27 years to recoup its share of the cost from toll charges – at £1-20 a crossing that is going to take a lot of cars!
City and County
May 2011
