Limehouse Link tunnel
Encyclopedia
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...
in the Limehouse
Limehouse
Limehouse is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is on the northern bank of the River Thames opposite Rotherhithe and between Ratcliff to the west and Millwall to the east....
area of east London on the A1203 road which runs from the northern approach to Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name...
eastwards to a point just north of Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centres, alongside the traditional City of London, and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest , One Canada Square...
in London Docklands. Constructed between 1989 and 1993 at a cost of £293 million it is currently (as of June 2011) the most expensive road scheme in Britain per mile working out at £250,000 per metre (2011 prices). It is the second largest non-estuarial road tunnel in the UK, behind the Hindhead Tunnel
Hindhead Tunnel
The Hindhead Tunnel is a road tunnel that opened on 29 July 2011 as part of the new Hindhead bypass for the A3 road in Surrey. It forms part of the 4 mile dual-carriageway being built to replace the last remaining stretch of single-carriageway on the London to Portsmouth road...
in Surrey.
History
Planning started in 1986, construction began in November 1989 and the tunnel project was officially opened in May 1993. At the time it was the second biggest engineering project in Europe after the Channel TunnelChannel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
.
Description
The 1.12-mile long tunnel actually comprises parallel twin tunnels, each constructed using 'cut-and-cover' methods. The western portal to the tunnel is situated at the eastern end of The HighwayThe Highway
The Highway, formerly known as the Ratcliffe Highway, is a mile-long road in the East End of London, with several historic landmarks nearby. The route dates back to Roman times. In the 19th century it had a very notorious reputation for vice and crime and was the site of the infamous Ratcliff...
(A1203), just east of its junction with Butcher Row (The Highway runs along the line of the Rotherhithe Tunnel
Rotherhithe Tunnel
The Rotherhithe Tunnel is a road tunnel crossing beneath the River Thames in East London. It connects the Ratcliff district of Limehouse in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets north of the river to Rotherhithe in the London Borough of Southwark south of the river. It is designated as the A101...
for a short distance; the northern portal of that tunnel lies just north of the Link tunnel entrance). Heading east, the tunnel passes under the north side of Limehouse Basin
Limehouse Basin
The Limehouse Basin in Limehouse, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets provides a navigable link between the Regent's Canal and the River Thames, through the Limehouse Basin Lock. A basin in the north of Mile End, near Victoria Park connects with the Hertford Union Canal leading to the River Lee...
, turns south-east to pass underneath Limekiln Dock and Dundee Wharf
Dundee Wharf
Dundee Wharf is a residential development in London Docklands.The modern buildings occupy the site of a former shipyard known as Limekiln Dockyard. A modern wharf with electric cranes was constructed in the 1930s...
(close to the embankment walls of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
) before veering north-east under Westferry Road. The eastern portal to the tunnel (emerging onto the A1261 Aspen Way) lies just north of the Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centres, alongside the traditional City of London, and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest , One Canada Square...
development, close to West India Quay DLR station
West India Quay DLR station
West India Quay DLR station is a station on the Docklands Light Railway in London, England. It is situated at the point where the line from Lewisham splits into branches to Tower Gateway/Bank and Stratford. The next stations on each line are Canary Wharf DLR station , Westferry and Poplar DLR...
. Through the Blackwall
Blackwall, London
Blackwall is an area of the East End of London, situated in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on the north bank of the River Thames.The district around Blackwall Stairs was known as Blackwall by at least the 14th century. This presumably derives from the colour of the river wall, constructed in...
area, the eastern extremity of Aspen Way includes a flyover crossing of a roundabout close to the line of the twin tunnels of the Blackwall Tunnel
Blackwall Tunnel
The Blackwall Tunnel is a pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in east London, linking the London Borough of Tower Hamlets with the London Borough of Greenwich, and part of the A102 road. The northern portal lies just south of the East India Dock Road in Blackwall; the southern...
.
The tunnel is subject to a 30 mph speed limit, enforced by SpeedCurb speed enforcement cameras above the carriageway at the tunnel entrances, exits and within the tunnel itself.
The Limehouse Link tunnel is notable for including slip roads to and from Westferry Road close towards the eastern end of the twin tunnels. Complex ground conditions and the need to avoid several key existing structures including other tunnels and a river basin increased costs.
Zadok Ben-David
Zadok Ben-David is an Israeli artist working in London. Born in Beihan, Yemen, his family immigrated to Israel when he was an infant. He studied at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design from 1971 to 1973. He continued his studies at University of Reading and the Central Saint Martins College of...
's circle of silhouettes, Restless Dream. The eastern portal features an untitled abstract by Nigel Hall
Nigel Hall (sculptor)
Nigel Hall is an English sculptor and a draughtsman.- Life :Nigel Hall's grandfather was a stonemason working on churches and cathedrals...
. The eastern services building (Westferry Road) features artwork commissioned from leading British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
artist and sculptor Michael Kenny (1941–1999), a relief work in Kilkenny limestone entitled On Strange And Distant Islands.