Queensbury Tunnel: 2019 review

Описание: Although uncertainty prevails for Queensbury Tunnel, this year has brought much encouragement as well as one outrageous act.

The cost of Highways England's dewatering operation rose to £1.2 million, but the floodwater returned to its original level in October when the contractor, AMCO-Giffen, was washed out to the tunnel.

In retaliation, an emergency was contrived to justify the infilling of No.2 Shaft. But there was no emergency so the exercise stands on shaky legal grounds.

Bradford Council formally endorsed the cycle path proposal, developed an Advocacy Document to support it and joined the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in submitting a £23 million funding bid for the Bradford-Halifax Greenway, incorporating the tunnel.

The Victorian Society placed Queensbury Tunnel on its 2019 list of the UK's Top 10 Most Endangered Buildings. This contributed to the growing opposition to Highways England's abandonment plans, with more than 4,900 objections submitted to its planning application.

Will 2020 see Queensbury Tunnel consigned to history or reborn into the new transport role? Only reopening offers value-for-money and long-term public benefit.