Tyne Tunnel
| Tyne Tunnel | |||
| Location Map ( geo) | |||
 | |||
| Northern entrance. | |||
| |||
| From: | Jarrow | ||
| To: | North Shields | ||
| County | |||
| Durham • Northumberland | |||
| Highway Authority | |||
| National Highways | |||
| Opening Date | |||
| 1967 & 2011 | |||
| Toll | |||
| £1.90 Cars / £3.70 HGV | |||
| Additional Information | |||
| |||
| On road(s) | |||
| A19 | |||
The Tyne Tunnel is the furthest downstream fixed crossing of the River Tyne east of Newcastle upon Tyne, and is part of the A19.
The original project consisted of a set of foot and cycle tunnels, opened in 1951, and a single carriageway road tunnel, which opened in 1967. Subsequent roadbuilding in the area, not least the rerouting of the A1 through the tunnel from the early 1980s to the completion of the Newcastle Western Bypass in 1990, meant that the tunnel became a severe bottleneck, and made refurbishment near impossible.
Consequently in 2004, a decision was made to build a second parallel tunnel. Construction started in 2008 and opened in early 2011. Traffic started using both tunnels and hence the route became dual carriageway in late 2011.
History
The First Road Tunnel
The initial tunnel was opened to traffic on 20 October 1967. The official opening had been on the previous day by Queen Elizabeth (Newcastle Evening Chronicle of 19 October 1967). It was about 5,500 feet long with a 31 foot 3 inch diameter carrying a 24 foot single carriageway. Southern exit was a roundabout connecting to A185 Straker Street (the current Jarrow Interchange). It was the longest under river road tunnel since the Queensway Mersey Tunnel of 1934. Contractor was Edmund Nuttall Sons & Co (London) Ltd, cost £12.6 million.
The Second Road Tunnel
The 0.93 mile second tunnel was opened at midnight on 25 February 2011 for two way running. Dual carriageway operation commenced on 21 November 2011 after refurbishment of the old tunnel. It was built as part of the £260 million New Tyne Crossing Project by contractor Bouygues Travaux Publics UK.
Routes
| Route | To | Notes |
| Sunderland, Teesside, Gateshead (A194) (A184) | ||
| The NORTH, Seaton Burn, A1 | ||
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Accessed via A19 | |
| Hebburn | ||
| South Shields (A194) | ||
| Tyne Commission Quay | ||
| Wallsend | ||
| Priory Rd | ||
| Sunderland, Teesside, Gateshead(A194)(A184) | now A19 | |
| The NORTH, Seaton Burn, A1 | now A19 |
Links
legislation.gov.uk
- The River Tyne (Tunnels) (Revision of Tolls) (Amendment) Order 2021 - This Order makes an amendment to the River Tyne (Tunnels) (Revision of Tolls) Order 2021 to reflect the removal of toll-booths in the implementation of free-flow traffic through the tunnels. The Order replaces one aspect of the definitions of the classes of vehicle.
- The River Tyne (Tunnels) (Modification) Order 2023 - This order makes provision for free-flow tolling
New Tyne Crossing Official Website
