| Location | Merseyside, England |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Route | Queens Way |
| Start | Liverpool, Merseyside |
| End | Birkenhead, Merseyside |
| Operation | |
| Constructed | 1925–1934 |
| Opened | 18 July 1934 |
| Owner | Merseytravel |
| Traffic | Automotive |
| Toll | £2.10 for a car (£1.40 for LCR fast-tag) [1] |
| Technical | |
| No. of lanes | 4 (2 northbound, 2 southbound) |
The Queensway Tunnel is a road tunnel under the River Mersey, in the north west of England, between Liverpool and Birkenhead. Locally, it is often referred to as the "Birkenhead Tunnel" or "old tunnel", to distinguish it from the newer Kingsway Tunnel(1971), which serves Wallasey and the M53 motorway traffic. At 3.24 kilometres (2.01 mi) in length, it is the longest road tunnel in the UK.
History[edit]
The first tunnel under the River Mersey was for the Mersey Railway in 1886. The first tunnel crossing was proposed in 1825, and again in 1827. A report in 1830 rejected the road tunnel due to concerns about building damage.
During the 1920s there were concerns about the long queues of cars and lorries at the Mersey Ferry terminal, so once royal assent to a parliamentary bill was received, construction of the first Mersey road tunnel started in 1925, to a design by consulting engineer Sir Basil Mott. Mott supervised the construction in association with John Brodie, who, as City Engineer of Liverpool, had co-ordinated the feasibility studies made by consultant Engineers Mott, Hay and Anderson. The main contractor was Edmund Nuttall.[2] In 1928 the two pilot tunnels met to within less than 25 millimetres (1.0 in). Construction work continued, and in 1930 Brian Colquhoun was appointed Resident Engineer.[3] The tunnel opened in 1934. From 1933 to 1936 Colquhoun was redesignated Resident Engineer-in-Charge.[3]
The tunnel entrances, toll booths and ventilation building exteriors were designed by architect Herbert James Rowse, who is frequently but incorrectly credited with the whole civil engineering project. Their decoration is by Edmund Thompson.[4] These are Grade II listed buildings. More than 1.2 million tons of rock, gravel, and clay were excavated; some of it was used to build Otterspool Promenade. Of the 1,700 men who worked on the tunnel during the nine years of its construction, 17 were killed.
At the time of its opening it was the longest road tunnel in the world, a title it held for 14 years until the opening of the Vielha Tunnel in Catalonia, Spain, in 1948, though it remained the longest underwater tunnel as of 1955.[5] The tunnel, which cost a total of £8 million, was opened on 18 July 1934 by King George V; the opening ceremony was watched by 200,000 people. At the time it was known as the eighth wonder of the world.[6]
By the 1960s, traffic volume had increased, and, in 1971, the Kingsway Tunnel opened to relieve congestion.
Description[edit]
The tunnel is 3.24 kilometres (2.01 mi) long. It contains a single carriageway of four lanes, two in each direction. A lower deck, originally intended as a tramway, is used for ventilation[7][8] and emergency refuges.[6]
Different height restrictions apply to the nearside and offside lanes in each direction, because of the curvature of the tunnel. These are 3.9 metres (13 ft) and 4.75 metres (15.6 ft) respectively, and there is a 3.5 t weight limit for goods vehicles. All buses are required to use the offside lane, regardless of their height. Lane signals (consisting of an illuminated green arrow or red cross) are displayed at regular intervals, although in normal circumstances none of the lanes are currently used bidirectionally. This is in contrast to the Kingsway Tunnel, where lanes in toll concourse are alternated to prioritise higher traffic in one direction during peak hours.
The tunnel has two branches leading off the main tunnel to the dock areas on both sides of the river. The Birkenhead branch tunnel (known as the Rendel Street branch, or Dock Exit) was closed in 1965. When travelling in the Birkenhead direction, the branch can still be seen inside the tunnel on the right just before the left hand bend towards the Birkenhead exit. The exit of this branch can also be seen on the outside from Rendel Street near the junction with Marcus Street, just north of Cleveland Street in Birkenhead. This branch also carried two-way traffic, single lane each way. It was also controlled by traffic lights inside the tunnel. This branch mainly served Birkenhead docks and for people travelling to the Wirral resort of New Brighton. These are now best served by the Kingsway Tunnel. The Liverpool branch tunnel remains in use, in the exit direction only. It emerges opposite the Liver Building, next to the Atlantic Tower Hotel and Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas. Originally, it carried two-way traffic and the junction inside the tunnel was controlled by traffic lights, but this arrangement was discontinued to reduce the delays brought on by increasing traffic levels. Had it been built, the tunnel would have connected with the Liverpool urban motorway, the planned inner ring road.
The lighting inside the tunnel was updated in 1981 to replace the amber fluorescent tubes on the walls of the tunnel. The reason given for the change was that the old lighting was ineffective and inefficient. It also caused a flicker effect on vehicle windscreens, which could induce epileptic reactions in susceptible people.
The tunnel was closed for the day on 17 July 1994 and was used for pedestrians only to celebrate its 60th anniversary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3flGlLsSD1w
Tolls[edit]
Tolls have been a feature of tunnel use since the Queensway Tunnel opened in 1934. Although residents were originally told tolls would be removed when debts were repaid, this position was dropped long ago. Debts and tolls were increased when the Kingsway Tunnel was built in 1971 to relieve congestion in the first tunnel. The County of Merseyside Act 1980 (c. x) enshrined in law the right to continue collecting tolls once the debts were repaid. The later Mersey Tunnels Act 2004 (c. ii) created a legal position where tolls charged must rise in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI) as published in November.[9]
Ventilation[edit]
As a roadway the tunnel requires ventilation to clear vehicle exhaust fumes. As originally designed the tunnel would have used forced air for ventilation; fumes and noxious gases were simply to be expelled through the tunnel exits. However, in an incident in the Liberty Tunnel in Pittsburgh in May 1924, inadequate ventilation led to a number of drivers being overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning, though there were no fatalities; this led the Queensway engineers to re-examine the issue and to conduct experiments in a completed section under Hamilton Square. Extractors were installed in the planned ventilation stations, adding to their size and complexity, and also adding considerably to the budget.[10]
The tunnel currently has six ventilation shafts, three on each side of the river. On the Wirral side the main shaft is at Woodside, with another (before the main exit) in Sidney Street, while the Dock Exit branch is served by the tower in Taylor Street. On the Liverpool side the main shaft is at the Pier head, in the George's Dock Building, with another (before the main exit) in North John Street, and the Strand Exit branch is served by the tower in Fazakerley Street. The Georges Dock Building also houses offices of the Tunnels Authority and of the Tunnels Police Force. All the ventilation buildings were designed by Herbert Rowse, chief architect for the Queensway tunnel exteriors, and all are Grade II listed.
Today[edit]
In April 2004 construction began on seven emergency refuges below the road deck, each capable of holding 180 people, as part of a £9 million project to bring the tunnel into line with the highest European safety standards. Each refuge is 21 metres (69 ft) long and 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide, accessible from the main tunnel walls. The refuges have fire resistant doors, ramps for wheelchair access, a supply of bottled water, a toilet, and a video link to the Mersey Tunnels Police control room. All seven refuges are linked by a walkway below the road surface, with exits at the Liverpool and Birkenhead ends.[citation needed]
In 2012 the tunnel was refurbished, with 5,999 added panels – ceramic steel cladding replacing the old plastic corrugated wall cladding to improve lighting and to give the tunnel a 21st century look.[11]
As of May 2024 the toll is £2.10 per journey[1] for a single passenger car of typical size, with progressively higher tolls for larger vehicles; solo motorcycles are free.[1] Average daily traffic through the tunnel currently stands at 35,000 vehicles, which equates to just under 12.8 million per year.[12]
Use in film[edit]
In September 2009, a scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 set in the Dartford Crossing was filmed in Queensway Tunnel, where Harry skips on a bus while on Hagrid's enchanted motorbike was filmed in the tunnel.[12] In 2012 the tunnel was used for the filming of a chase scene for Fast & Furious 6.[13] In March 2018, the tunnel was used for the filming of Yesterday, directed by Danny Boyle.[14] The two main characters are frolicking in an empty tunnel when the bright yellow words "Hello Goodbye" are rolling through the tunnel. Also in 2018 the tunnel was a location for the BBC TV series The City and the City, where it served as the gateway between the two cities.
In popular culture[edit]
The Dubliners popularised the song "I Wish I Was Back in Liverpool", which includes a verse about the building of the Queensway Tunnel.
See also[edit]
| Location | Merseyside, England |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Route |  A59 road |
| Start | Liverpool, Merseyside |
| End | Wallasey, Merseyside |
| Operation | |
| Constructed | 1968–1973 |
| Opened | Southern portal: 24 June 1971 Northern portal: 13 February 1974 |
| Owner | Merseytravel |
| Traffic | Automotive |
| Toll | £2.10 a car (£1.40 for LCR fast-tag)[1] |
| Technical | |
| No. of lanes | 4 (2 in eastbound, 2 westbound) |
The Kingsway Tunnel (or Wallasey Tunnel) is a toll road tunnel under the River Merseybetween Liverpool and Wallasey. The 1.5 mi (2.4 km) tunnel carries the A59. It was built because the Queensway Tunnel – which was built in the 1930s to carry vehicles between Birkenhead and Liverpool – was unable to cope with the rise in postwar traffic.
History[edit]
Annual vehicle usage of the Queensway Tunnel had exceeded 11 million by 1959, causing severe traffic congestion at peak commute times, partially as a result of low toll costs. It was evident that a significant capacity increase was required, with considerations on various bridge and tunnel schemes ultimately concluding with a second tunnel as the favoured option, funded by tolls. In 1965, parliamentary powers granted construction of a new two-lane tunnel, approximately 1 mile downstream from the existing tunnel. A further bill for the tunnel's construction was promoted in 1967 with approval given in 1968, upon which construction started immediately.[2]
Construction[edit]
| Mersey Tunnel (Liverpool/Wallasey) &c. Act 1965 |
|---|
The project was authorised by the Mersey Tunnel (Liverpool/Wallasey) &c. Act 1965 (c. xl). Edmund Nuttall Limited.[3] Construction took around five years to fully complete. The approach to the tunnel on the Wirral side uses the former railway cutting that carried the Seacombe branch line.[4] It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 24 June 1971. At first, only the southernmost tunnel was open for traffic, one lane in each direction. The northernmost tunnel was completed in 1974 and opened to traffic on 13 February 1974.
Mersey Tunnel 10k[edit]
There is an annual 10k run that passes through the Kingsway Tunnel, starting in Liverpool city centre with the finish line in New Brighton. This is the only time during the year when one can travel through the tunnel on foot. In 2024, more than 2,000 people registered to take part in the event.[5]
Operations[edit]
Kingsway comprises identical twin tunnels. Each has two 12 ft (3.7 m) lanes. They carry on average 45,000 vehicles a day (almost 16.4million per year).[6] As of May 2024, a single car journey through the tunnel cost £2.10[1] Staffed and automatic tollbooths are located on the Wallasey side. Of the two tunnels crossing the River Mersey, Kingsway is the only one able to take heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).
In a study following the fire in the Mont Blanc Tunnel in 1999, inspectors from the European Union rated the Kingsway Tunnel as "good", one of fourteen to receive that rating in Europe.[7]
Over 75 miles (120 km) of wiring was installed in the tunnel as part of a 2016 upgrade to the lighting, which saw the tunnel fitted with more energy efficient and longer-lasting LED lights.[8]
See also[edit]
| Abbreviation | MTP |
|---|---|
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1936 |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Legal jurisdiction | Mersey Tunnels and approaches |
| Governing body | Merseytravel |
| Constituting instrument |
|
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Georges Dock Building, Georges Dockway, Liverpool |
| Officers | 51 (2015) |
| Facilities | |
| Stations | 1 |
| Website | |
| Official Mersey Tunnels Website | |
The Mersey Tunnels Police is a small, specialised, non-Home Office police force that provides policing services for the Mersey Tunnels in Merseyside, England. The force, which comprises fifty one officers from Constable to Chief Police Officer is responsible for effective road policing of the Mersey Tunnels, Approach Roads and Exit Roads. It is privately funded by Merseytravel which in turn reports to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
Role and powers[edit]
Mersey Tunnels Police officers hold the office of constable and take their powers from section 105 of the County of Merseyside Act 1980. Unlike most police services in England and Wales, the service is answerable to the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive[1] rather than the Home Office. The executive also appoints the service's officers who are formally sworn in as police constables by a justice of the peace.[2] As of 2010 the service consisted of around 55 officers across the various ranks.
Jurisdiction[edit]
The service's jurisdiction consists of the tunnels themselves, marshaling areas, entrance/exit roads and all Mersey Tunnels premises. Officers execute their duties in accordance with The Mersey Tunnels Bylaws.[2] In some cases, officers may assist with high-urgency motorway incidents in the surrounding area where other patrols are further away.
The tunnels service have primary responsibility for these areas, meaning they enforce the Mersey Tunnels bylaws and like all other police services the various and relevant UK statute law/legislation although perhaps by the nature of the role primarily the Road Traffic Act. Mersey Tunnels Police officers are the first line responders to any incidents or emergencies within the tunnels or premises although certain incidents and enquiries of a serious nature may be dealt with by Merseyside Police in accordance with local agreements between the two services.
History and strength[edit]
Formed in January 1936 with two inspectors, four sergeants and 14 constables they undertook motorcycle patrols of the tunnels. The force grew to a maximum strength of one chief superintendent, one chief inspector, five inspectors, 15 sergeants and 60 constables.[3]
As of January 2015, the establishment of the service consisted of 51 officers, divided amongst the following ranks: One chief officer, five inspectors, 10 sergeants and 35 constables.[4] All new recruits are required to be serving or former police officers in another force; the force does not recruit direct from members of the public.[5]
Rank structure[edit]
The ranks of the Mersey Tunnels Police consists of:
| Rank | Constable | Sergeant | Inspector | Chief Officer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insignia |  |  |  | n/a |
All officers have the powers of a constable, regardless of rank (see above for details).
Uniform, training and equipment[edit]
Mersey Tunnel Police officers wear a uniform similar to other police forces, but wear white-topped peaked caps, as traffic officers.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) include:
- Monadnock auto-lock baton
- Rigid handcuffs
- Stab vests
- Personal radios.[7]
All officers are trained Police Level 4 Response Driving Standards, as MTP is a specialist traffic service. Training is done by MTP instructors and the Liverpool Cathedral Constables hold kit in their facility.[7]
Vehicles[edit]
The service uses a small range of vehicles. The newest models bought in 2010 being the Land Rover Discovery IV (3 litre) and Ford S-Max. Additionally, the service has some older Ford Galaxy and Land Rover Discovery II models which are also planned to be replaced in the second half of 2010 with Ford and Land Rover Freelander vehicles.
As of 2023 the force have total of 11 police vehicles, 2 × BMW X3, 4 × Volvo V60, 2 × Volvo XC70, which has four-wheel drive capability. 2 × Land Rover Discovery IV, 1 × Mercedes VitoCell Van,
Media coverage[edit]
Mersey Tunnels Police was heavily criticised by the Merseyside coroner for its handling of a pursuit in which two 14-year-old boys were killed in 2003 after crashing a stolen car into a roadblock set up by Mersey Tunnels officers. The coroner went so far as to recommend that either the policing of the tunnel should be altogether transferred to Merseyside Police, or tunnel officers should be trained to national policing standards.[8]
All officers are now trained in Police Level 4 Response Driving Standards.[7]
Fallen officers[edit]
The MTP has lost one officer in the line of duty:
- PC Derek McIntyre, struck and killed by a vehicle (10 November 1967).[7]
See also[edit]
- List of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories
- Law enforcement in the United Kingdom
- Port of Liverpool Police
- Merseyside Police
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