Major UK tunnel project proposed

The UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) has put forward five alternate route options for a new highway connecting the cities of Manchester and Sheffield. The project looks likely to include a major tunnel section measuring as much as 20-30km in length that would run under the Peak District. The aim of the project would be to cut journey times between the two cities as the existing transport routes are prone to peak period congestion and delays at present. The route would connect either the M60 or M67 motorw
August 19, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The UK’s 5432 Department for Transport (DfT) has put forward five alternate route options for a new highway connecting the cities of Manchester and Sheffield. The project looks likely to include a major tunnel section measuring as much as 20-30km in length that would run under the Peak District. The aim of the project would be to cut journey times between the two cities as the existing transport routes are prone to peak period congestion and delays at present. The route would connect either the M60 or M67 motorways close to Manchester with the M1 motorway on Sheffield’s northern side.

Should the tunnel construction get the go-ahead, it would be one of the longest road tunnels in the world and one of the UK’s most ambitious civil engineering projects.

No time schedule for the project has been put forward and nor have cost estimates been revealed. However the cost of building such a long tunnel with multiple traffic lanes would be extremely high and it is likely that twin bores would be required. Some of the more radical suggestions for the tunnel section of the project also include ways to ensure drivers maintain attention behind the wheel, such as installing palm trees at the roadside and murals along the tunnel walls.

The project is controversial however. The massive cost of constructing a tunnel of this length has been suggested as being impractical. Comments have been made that lower cost transport upgrades to road connections in the area would deliver a better return on investment.
Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • India’s longest road tunnel continues apace with Atlas Copco support
    May 20, 2014
    The challenging construction of India’s largest road tunnel is part of a vital US$500 million project aiming to connect the isolated northern state of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the vast and highly populated country. Guy Woodford reports Travelling on National Highway 1A (NH 1A) in northern India should be the dictionary definition of ordeal. The single lane, narrow and winding road crosses some of the steepest, most treacherous terrain on the planet. The arduous route becomes especially difficult t
    Read More
  • New international trade crossing linking Canada and US
    June 9, 2015
    The Detroit River is short, only 45km, and narrow in places, less than 1km. Around a quarter of the annual $658 billion Canada-US trade crosses over the river. That’s $160 billion worth of goods trucked each year between Detroit in the US state of Michigan and the Canadian city of Windsor in the province of Ontario - the Windsor-Detroit Corridor. There are several types of crossings, but the vast majority of commercial traffic must use the 2.3km Ambassador Bridge (see box). A new bridge was initially prop
    Read More
  • State-of-the art road tunnels in construction and use of ITS
    April 25, 2013
    A wealth of major road tunnel construction projects and significant cant ITS installations within existing key road tunnels have been recently completed or will soon be underway. Guy Woodford examines some of them. A state-of-the art Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) - the 10th largest ever to be built worldwide will be put to work later this year on New Zealand Transport Agency’s landmark Waterview Connection project in Auckland. The giant Herrenknecht-manufactured machine will be used to construct the twin 2.5
    Read More
  • New road links will cut congestion in St Petersburg
    June 20, 2016
    Road building will solve the problem of traffic jams in St Petersburg – Eugene Gerden writes The authorities in Russian city St Petersburg plan to solve the problem of traffic jams in the city during the next few years. The strategy is expected to be achieved through road building and the improvement of transport connections between different districts in the city. Implementation of these plans will take place as part of the decree 355 "Of the Strategy of St Petersburg Economic and Social Development
    Read More

Highlighted Content