Tunnel closed overnight for up to 12 months

DRIVERS WARNED OF DELAYS FOR 'GENERATIONAL' PROJECT

- ANDY PHILLIPS

THE Saltash tunnel will be closed on weeknights for almost 12 months from November and drivers may face delays at other times to allow for a £25m programme of modernisation which highways bosses say is needed to make it 'fit for the future.

As part of a 'generational' refurbishment project, the Tunnel and Traffic Control System within the 36-year-old tunnel will be upgraded, including electrical distribution, new LED lighting, fans and electronic signage.

Carrying around 40,000 vehicles a day, the 410-metre long, three-lane bidirectional structure is the only tunnel in Europe operating by tidal flow.

As such, the tidal flow corridor relies on specialised technology, and the £25 million modernisation programme is essential to maintain the safe operation of the tunnel for many years to come.

The current tunnel and lane control system is more than 20 years old and is being replaced and upgraded as part of an extensive programme of work which managers say will maintain safety, provide more reliable journeys and reduce the risk of unplanned closures.

Initial preparatory work, including the stripping out of old cabling, has been taking place since last autumn, in tandem with a speed reduction scheme which saw the speed restriction lowered from 70mph to 50mph between the tunnel and Carkeel roundabout.