On Monday 21 November 2011, the New Tyne Crossing became fully operational as the original Tyne Tunnel re-opened to traffic following refurbishment.
Landscaping along the length of the site is still underway and will continue during 2011.
Please watch this space for further updates.
The New Tyne Crossing is the project to develop a second vehicle tunnel under the River Tyne and to refurbish the existing vehicle tunnel which was opened in 1967.
The project is a Private Public Partnership. The Concessionaire, TT2 (the organisation appointed to deliver the New Tyne Crossing) is responsible for the part-financing, design and construction of the new tunnel, and for the operation and maintenance of all the tunnels under the river, including the Grade II listed pedestrian and cycle tunnels.
The Concession will run until 2037 after which all the tunnels will be handed back to the Tyne & Wear Integrated Transport Authority.
The New Tyne Crossing represents a £260 million capital investment in Tyne and Wear’s road infrastructure. Around half of the capital will be provided by TT2’s shareholders. The remainder will be raised by the TWPTA through Prudential Borrowing.
The second vehicle tunnel links East Howdon in North Tyneside with Jarrow in South Tyneside, completing the dualling of the A19 between Northumberland and North Yorkshire.
It was built just downstream (east) of the existing tunnel. Now that both tunnels are fully operational, the new tunnel will carry traffic north to south and the original tunnel will carry vehicles south to north.
The second vehicle tunnel was built using immersed tube technology in the river section. This involved dredging a deep trench in the bed of the Tyne and placing pre-fabricated concrete sections into it. These sections were built in the A&P dry dock, Wallsend.
The total length of new carriageway is approximately 2.6 km. The tunnel itself makes up 1.5km of the total length.
There is a new toll plaza at the north end of the new tunnel on the southbound carriageway and a re-configured toll plaza at the north end of the original tunnel.
A bus-only lane will allow southbound buses to bypass the toll plaza.
The existing roundabout at the north entrance to the tunnel has been removed. For traffic travelling south, the most southerly access to the A19 and Tyne Tunnel is from the A193.
In Jarrow, the tunnel portals have been extended south to reduce noise and improve air quality for local people. The existing bridge carrying Howard Street in Jarrow has been demolished and Howard Street was realigned to pass over the new tunnel and the existing tunnel.
The existing ventilation chimney and related infrastructure near Chaytor Street in Jarrow has been modified. A new ventilation shaft has been built within the new Jarrow Interchange to serve the new tunnel.
The roundabout near the southern entrance to the existing tunnel was removed. A new interchange connecting the A19 and the local road network via slip roads has been built south of Howard Street bridge.
Work on the refurbishment of the existing tunnel included the construction of an emergency escape passage and the installation of a fixed fire suppression system. These improvements help to make the crossing one of the safest in Europe.