Tunnel works given go-ahead as £16.3m funding package approved
ESSENTIAL strengthening work on Woodhouse Tunnel in Leeds is set to begin next month after funding approval was confirmed today.
The work can now go ahead after the Department of Transport formally approved funding of £16.34m for the project, which is part of a wider £24.96m maintenance scheme of improvements to the Leeds Inner Ring Road.
The Department for Transport funding is supported by £8.616m provided by Leeds City Council, the West Yorkshire Local Transport Plan Fund, The University of Leeds and Leeds NHS Trust.
The work is needed to address deterioration of the tunnel caused by more than 40 years of wear and tear which if unresolved would result in the Inner Ring Road needing to be closed within five years for safety reasons.
Some critical repairs were carried out on the tunnel roof in the summer of 2011, but the remaining essential maintenance works are now required.
The project is expected to last around two years.
A traffic management strategy will be in place to minimise disruption to motorists and the weekend closures will be notified in advance.
Work will be suspended completely when the Tour de France comes to the city in July, and the council said it is also working with the first direct arena to minimise any impact on events held at the venue.
Woodhouse Tunnel is the largest structure included in the essential maintenance scheme, which has already seen strengthening work carried out successfully on Lovell Park Bridge and New York Flyover.
Leeds City Council executive board member for development and the economy Coun Richard Lewis said: “The Leeds Inner Ring Road is the most important road in the city in terms of keeping Leeds moving, so it is absolutely essential that any risk to its future is addressed.
“With more than 80,000 vehicles travelling through Woodhouse Tunnel every day, it is inevitable that it has suffered wear and tear in the 40 years since it was built and this scheme will mean it can continue to be used in a safe condition.
“We do appreciate there will be some disruption to traffic while the work is carried out but we will be doing everything we can to keep this to a minimum and we would ask drivers and commuters to be understanding that this project is necessary for the long-term benefit of the city.”
Metro chairman Coun James Lewis said: “As the many thousands of drivers who use the Leeds Inner Ring Road know, this is one of the city’s major traffic routes. Since it was built in the 1960s and 1970s, it has contributed to the economic success of Leeds by taking non-essential traffic away from the city centre, making it a better place to do business and contributing to the growth in the retail sector.
“The road succeeds in taking people to the places they actually need to be, and a similar philosophy drove the development of the new Leeds Station Southern Entrance, which will make it easier for people to reach destinations south of the River Aire.
“Funding to complete these essential road repairs is a welcome boost to freight and private car users as well as to the many bus passengers whose city centre journeys are easier because of it. With the Southern Entrance project also awaiting final funding approval from the Department for Transport, two major boosts to the economic potential of the city could be delivered in the next few years.”
