Large junction chambers with 1. The interior of the tunnels is finished with a layer of gunite sprayed concrete render over the lining, followed by bitumen emulsion, paint and black glass sheeting to a height of 1. The challenge of ventilating such a long tunnel was solved using full-scale trials and the selection of an upward semi-transverse system.
Six huge buildings with square towers up to 64m high, three on each side of the river, were constructed to house the necessary machinery and ventilation fans up to 8. Fresh air is forced into the tunnel via a system of large concrete ducts, and foul air is extracted. The ventilation building at Georges Dock SJ also houses the tunnel control centre. The buildings are faced in white Portland stone. The carved Egyptian style decorations on the portals are by sculptor Edmund Charles Thompson Placed near the two main portals, they would illuminate the entrances and act as tunnel monuments.
Each Columns are of reinforced concrete clad with black granite and the bowl is of gilded bronze and glass. Much of the 1,, tonnes of rock, clay and gravel excavated during the project was later used to build Otterspool Promenade to the south east. The tunnel was badly needed, before it was built the only way to cross the Mersey by vehicle was to queue for a special vehicle ferry, which often didn't run because of the weather conditions.
The next crossing after this was a transporter bridge at Widnes or failing that a long drive through Warrington. The tunnel is split in to two sections with the upper level being used to carry the road traffic. The lower section known as Central Avenue is directly under the two central lanes of traffic and was originally intended to house a tramway, but this idea never came to fruition as other forms of transport became more popular.
The construction of the tunnel began in from both sides of the river with the two pilot tunnels meeting in The tunnel entrances, toll booths and the exterior of the ventilation buildings were designed by the architect Herbert Rowse. At either end of the tunnel there were two 60 foot columns made from reinforced concrete and polished granite, only the column at the Birkenhead end remains today.
The space in Central Avenue was rented to British Gas who fitted a large pipe to transport gas across the river. The pipe is now defunct and recently parts of this area have been used to hold emergency refuges for people in the event of an incident in the road tunnel above. Cookies - we do not use cookies to store personal information about you, we only use them to improve our website for you. If you don't have a pre-paid tolls account and need to make a journey through the tunnel, please be aware that due to Covid guidelines we do not provide change.
Please use the AUTO lanes to pay with the correct change or by contactless. The loans are still being paid and will not be paid off until These payments are fixed and the penalties incurred by paying them off early would make the debt more expensive, so would be a false economy.
The debt isn't just related to the construction costs of both the Queensway and Kingsway, but also the money that was borrowed for tunnel maintenance and improvements before the Tunnels Act This now ensures sufficient funds are generated through tunnel use to allow for their upkeep and improvement without borrowing.
The debts are not of a level that would significantly impact the level of the toll. New customers can easily register for a T-FLOW account online, as part of the process will register their Vehicle Licence Plate Number, which will be checked against DVLA source data to automatically set the correct toll classification for the vehicle in line with existing categories.
Customers will be asked to make an initial payment onto their T-FLOW account by debit or credit card, this will add credit allowing the customer to travel almost immediately and removing the need to wait for Fast Tags to arrive by post. Once registered, if the vehicle presents at the toll plaza, the plate will be read by the camera in the toll lane and checks made to ensure that there is sufficient credit on the account to make that journey. If so, the barrier will raise and the correct toll payment for that vehicles class will be deducted from the account balance.
This T-FLOW system is the pre-payment option, removing the need for the customer to carry cash or make a card payment in the toll lane. Customers can assign more than one vehicle to an account and account holders will see an itemised history of each vehicle usage, allowing them to check expenditure, claim expenses etc. One of the benefits of T-FLOW is that you can manage your account online via your dashboard where you can view your statement or see an itemised history of journeys made.
You have the option to print or download this for your records. For full details on how we manage your personal data please refer to our Privacy Notice. It is very important that you do not exceed the total number of journeys that you used to calculate the monthly payment. If you think this might happen due to a change in your journey pattern you can either top up your T-FLOW account online at www. If you think this increase in usage is more long term you should increase your Direct Debit payment for your maximum convenience.
The lane display messages mounted on the right-hand side of each toll lane indicate the status of your T-FLOW account. If there is a vehicle immediately in front of you, please do not attempt to follow on the green or amber light relating to that vehicle transaction. You may appeal within one month of the date of your decision outcome. The appeal must be made in writing and you must enclose further relevant official documentation dated within the last 12 months to support your appeal.
Merseytravel cannot hold a formal appeal panel based on a re-submission of the original application, you msut submit new evidence and not solely on the grounds that you are unhappy with the original decision. Take your supporting documents to a Merseytravel Centre or post them to:. You must book your tour in advance by calling or emailing tours merseytravel. The tour will take approx two hours. Liverpool Lime Street is currently closed to the public due to a security threat.
No trains are running from the station. We aim to have normal service resumed as swiftly as possible. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused. Skip to content Skip to menu. Don't show this to me again. Mersey Tunnels Find out the latest journey times, travel updates and more for the Queensway Birkenhead and Kingsway Wallasey tunnels.
Pre-paid Tolls Account. Travel Updates. The project had a workforce of 1, men. Liverpool local Bill who was 9 years old when he saw George V open the tunnel in Fascinating facts Much of the 1.
More about this project engineering-timelines. Explore more civil engineering projects. Tower Bridge. Kishore Ramdeen Civil Engineer. Dominic Cronin Civil Engineer. Andy Mitchell Civil Engineer. Anusha Shah Civil Engineer. John Smeaton Civil Engineer. Sakthy Selvakumaran Civil Engineer. Bryn Noble Civil Engineer. Bianca Wheeler Civil Engineer. Emma Watkins Civil Engineer. Aaron Matthew Civil Engineer.
0コメント