Kingsway Tunnel

Kingsway Tunnel
	The Liverpool Entrance of the Kingsway Tunnel
Overview
Location	Merseyside, England
Status	Active
Route	Kingsway Tunnel
Start	Liverpool, Merseyside
End	Wallasey, Merseyside
Operation
Constructed	1966–1971
Opened	24 June 1971
Owner	Merseytravel
Traffic	Automotive
Toll	£1.80 for cars
Technical
No. of lanes	4 (2 in eastbound, 2 westbound)

The Kingsway Tunnel (or Wallasey Tunnel) is a toll road tunnel under the River Mersey between 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.

Construction[]

The project was authorised by the Mersey Tunnel (Liverpool/Wallasey) etc. Act 1965. Edmund Nuttall Limited began work in 1966.^[1] Construction took five years to complete. The approach to the tunnel on the Wirral side uses the former railway cutting that carried the Seacombe branch line.^[2] It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 24 June 1971. At first, only the southernmost tube was open for traffic, one lane in each direction. The northernmost tube was completed in 1974 and opened to traffic on 13 February 1974.

Operations[]

Kingsway comprises identical twin tubes. Each has two 12 ft (3.7 m) lanes. They carry on average 45,000 vehicles a day (almost 16.4million per year).^[3] As of 2017, a single car journey through the tunnel currently costs £1.80.^[4] 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.^[5]

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.^[6]

References[]

^ ICE Virtual Tour^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Mersey Tunnel Users Association – History". Tunnel Users. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
^ "Mersey Crossing Study – The Mersey Gateway Project" (PDF). Mersey Gateway. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
^ "Mersey Tunnels – Tolls Fees and Charges". www.merseytunnels.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
^ "The European Tunnel Assessment Programme (EUROTAP) 2005 Inspections" (PDF). The AA. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
^ "Major Kingsway Tunnel rewire begins". www.merseytravel.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2017.

External links[]

Official website

Next crossing upstream	River Mersey	Next crossing downstream
Queensway Tunnel	Kingsway Tunnel	Liverpool Bay

Coordinates: 53°24′47″N 3°00′36″W / 53.413°N 3.010°W / 53.413; -3.010

[1] ICE Virtual Tour^{[permanent dead link]}

[tunnelusers-2] "Mersey Tunnel Users Association – History". Tunnel Users. Retrieved 12 April 2017.

[3] "Mersey Crossing Study – The Mersey Gateway Project" (PDF). Mersey Gateway. Retrieved 29 September 2014.

[4] "Mersey Tunnels – Tolls Fees and Charges". www.merseytunnels.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.

[5] "The European Tunnel Assessment Programme (EUROTAP) 2005 Inspections" (PDF). The AA. Retrieved 29 September 2014.

[6] "Major Kingsway Tunnel rewire begins". www.merseytravel.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2017.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

show v t Buildings and structures in Liverpool, England
Skyscrapers and highrises (over 60m)	1 Princes Dock Alexandra Tower Beetham Tower The Lexington Mann Island Buildings Municipal Buildings New Hall Place One Park West The Plaza Port of Liverpool Building Post & Echo Building Radio City Tower Royal Liver Building Thistle Atlantic Tower Unity Commercial Unity Residential West Tower
Notable lowrises	Albert Dock Alder Hey Children's Hospital Bank of England Bluecoat Chambers Britannia Adelphi Hotel Chinese Arch County Sessions House Crowne Plaza LJLA Cunard Building Empire Theatre Everyman Theatre, Liverpool Grand Central Hall Great North Western Hotel Hargreaves Building Homeopathic Hospital India Buildings International Slavery Museum Liverpool Central Library Liverpool Cotton Exchange Building Liverpool Magistrates' Court Liverpool Playhouse Liverpool Town Hall Liverpool Women's Hospital The Lyceum Malmaison Merseyside Maritime Museum Museum of Liverpool National Conservation Centre Oratory Oriel Chambers Philharmonic Hall Prudential Assurance Building Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts Royal Court Theatre Royal Insurance Building Royal Liverpool University Hospital Speke Hall Stanley Dock Tobacco Warehouse St George's Hall Tate Liverpool Tower Buildings Victoria Building Walker Art Gallery White Star Building World Museum Liverpool
Places of worship	All Saints' Church Al-Rahma Mosque Church of All Hallows Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas Church of St Agnes and St Pancras Church of St Clare German Church Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas Gustav Adolf Church Liverpool Cathedral Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Norwegian Fishermans' Church Old Christ Church The Oratory Princes Road Synagogue St George's Church Saint John the Baptist's Church St Luke's Church St Luke's Church, Walton St Michael's Church Toxteth Unitarian Chapel Ullet Road Unitarian Church Welsh Presbyterian Church
Transportation	Liverpool Coach Station Liverpool One bus station James Street station Kingsway Tunnel Liverpool Central station Liverpool John Lennon Airport Liverpool Lime Street station Liverpool South Parkway station Mersey Railway Tunnel Moorfields station Queensway Tunnel
Shopping complexes	Clayton Square Shopping Centre Lewis's Building Liverpool ONE Metquarter New Mersey Shopping Park St Johns Shopping Centre
Sports venues and arenas	Anfield Goodison Park Liverpool Cricket Club M&S Bank Arena O2 Academy Liverpool Walton Hall Park Wavertree Athletics Centre
Sculptures and monuments	Nelson Monument Steble Fountain Superlambanana Titanic Memorial Victoria Monument Wellington's Column Yellow Submarine Public art
Lists	Listed buildings in Liverpool List of tallest buildings and structures in Liverpool
Category Commons