Medway Tunnel
Encyclopedia
The Medway Tunnel is a tunnel
under the River Medway
linking Strood
with Chatham
in Kent
, England
. It forms part of the Medway Towns Northern Relief Road (A289). The Medway Tunnel is the first immersed tube
tunnel to be built in England and only the second of this type in the UK, the other being at Conwy
, North Wales
.
/ Tarmac Construction joint venture, started in May 1992 and the Medway Tunnel was opened by the Princess Royal
in June 1996.
In 2008 negotiations were completed by the Conservative Council administration which purchased the freehold of the Tunnel from the Trust for £1 with a £3.6m contribution on future costs. This has caused controversy locally as the sum will not meet the 5-10 year short-term costs of the tunnel according to local Council budgets. Under the former agreement, the Trust had made discretionary contributions to help meet those costs since the Tunnel opened, amounting to about £0.5 million per year but these ceased.
Bicycles are currently prohibited from using the tunnel. According to a report commissioned by the Council in 2003, enabling cycling through the tunnel is the number one priority for encouraging bicycle usage in the Medway region. No action has subsequently been taken in this regard, possibly as the change will require an Act of Parliament
.
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
under the River Medway
River Medway
The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
linking Strood
Strood
Strood is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in South East England. It is part of the ceremonial county of Kent. It lies on the north west bank of the River Medway at its lowest bridging point, and is part of the Rochester post town....
with Chatham
Chatham, Medway
Chatham is one of the Medway towns located within the Medway unitary authority, in North Kent, in South East England.Although the dockyard has long been closed and is now being redeveloped into a business and residential community as well as a museum featuring the famous submarine, HMS Ocelot,...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It forms part of the Medway Towns Northern Relief Road (A289). The Medway Tunnel is the first immersed tube
Immersed tube
An immersed tube is a kind of underwater tunnel composed of segments, constructed elsewhere and floated to the tunnel site to be sunk into place and then linked together. They are commonly used for road and rail crossings of rivers, estuaries and sea channels/harbours...
tunnel to be built in England and only the second of this type in the UK, the other being at Conwy
Conwy
Conwy is a walled market town and community in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales. The town, which faces Deganwy across the River Conwy, formerly lay in Gwynedd and prior to that in Caernarfonshire. Conwy has a population of 14,208...
, North Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
History
In 1990 the Medway Tunnel Act was passed granting the Rochester Bridge Trust the power to build and own the tunnel. The work, which was carried out by an HBM Civil EngineeringEdmund Nuttall
BAM Nuttall Limited is a construction and civil engineering company headquartered in Camberley, United Kingdom. It has been involved in a portfolio of road, rail, nuclear, and other major projects worldwide...
/ Tarmac Construction joint venture, started in May 1992 and the Medway Tunnel was opened by the Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
in June 1996.
In 2008 negotiations were completed by the Conservative Council administration which purchased the freehold of the Tunnel from the Trust for £1 with a £3.6m contribution on future costs. This has caused controversy locally as the sum will not meet the 5-10 year short-term costs of the tunnel according to local Council budgets. Under the former agreement, the Trust had made discretionary contributions to help meet those costs since the Tunnel opened, amounting to about £0.5 million per year but these ceased.
Bicycles are currently prohibited from using the tunnel. According to a report commissioned by the Council in 2003, enabling cycling through the tunnel is the number one priority for encouraging bicycle usage in the Medway region. No action has subsequently been taken in this regard, possibly as the change will require an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
.