- Rotherhithe Tunnel
The Rotherhithe Tunnel is a road tunnel crossing beneath the
River Thames in EastLondon . It connects the Ratcliff district ofLimehouse in theLondon Borough of Tower Hamlets north of the river toRotherhithe in theLondon Borough of Southwark south of the river. It is designated as the A101. It was formally opened in 1908 by GeorgePrince of Wales (later King George V), andRichard Robinson , Chairman of theLondon County Council .It should not be confused with the nearby but earlier and much more historic
Thames Tunnel , designed and built under the supervision ofMarc Isambard Brunel and his sonIsambard Kingdom Brunel , which was used byLondon Underground for theEast London Line (currently closed until 2010 while being rebuilt as part of theLondon Overground system).Construction
Designed by Sir
Maurice Fitzmaurice , the Engineer to theLondon County Council , the tunnel's construction was authorised by the "Thames Tunnel (Rotherhithe and Ratcliff) Act" of 1900 despite considerable opposition from local residents, nearly 3,000 of whom were displaced by the tunnel works."Rotherhithe Tunnel Jubilee", " P.L.A. Monthly", Port of London 1955]The work took place between 1904 and 1908, executed by the resident engineer Edward H. Tabor and the contractors Price and Reeves at a cost of about £1 million. The tunnel was excavated partly using a
tunnelling shield and partly throughcut-and-cover methods. The entrance arches of the tunnel are in fact the cutting edges of the original tunnelling shield, which measured 30 feet 8 inches (9.35 m) in diameter, [Rolt Hammond, "Civil Engineering Plant and Methods", p. 150. (Benn, 1952)] forming in effect aloading gauge for the tunnel.Physical characteristics
The Rotherhithe Tunnel consists of a single bore, 4,860 feet (1,481 m) long, carrying a two-lane carriageway 48 feet (14.5 m) below the high-water level of the Thames, with a maximum depth of 75 feet (23 m) below the surface. Four shafts were sunk alongside the tunnel to aid construction and to serve later as ventilation and entrance shafts. The two riverside shafts, built in red brick with stone dressings, were fitted with iron
spiral staircase s to serve as pedestrian entrances. They are now closed to the public (the roofs were damaged during WWII, and the iron staircases became dangerous), and currently the only entrance to the tunnel is via the main portals at each end (the bases of the staircases can still be seen as you pass through the tunnel). Pedestrian (and cycle) access is still permitted in the Rotherhithe bore, however, the distances involved for pedestrians increased significantly when the spiral staircases closed because rather than just crossing the river, a pedestrian has to follow the carriageway ramp all the way back to the surface. However, the shafts have recently had new roofs fitted, and there are rumoured plans to reopen the spiral staircases.The tunnel is entered via a sloping brick-lined open-air cutting at each end, leading to the entrance portals, followed by a short cut-and-cover section of tunnel until the first of the tunnel's four shafts are reached. The tunneled section is situated between shafts 1 and 4, measures 3,689 feet (1,125 m) long and is lined with
cast iron segments. [Denis Smith, "London and the Thames Valley", p. 17. (Thomas Telford, 2000)] At the time of its construction, the tunnel was said to be "the largest subaqueous tunnel in existence". [Henry Jephson, "The Making of Modern London: progress & reaction: twenty-one years of the London County council", p. 62. (The London Liberal Federation, 1910)]The Rotherhithe Tunnel was originally designed to serve foot and horse-drawn traffic passing between the docks on either side of the river. This accounts for some of its more unusual design features. The roadways are narrow, with each lane only some 8 feet (2.4 m) wide, and two footways of between 4 and 6 feet (1.2 to 2 m) wide on each side. The tunnel is shallow, with a maximum gradient of 1 in 36, to cater for non-mechanised traffic. Its route includes sharp, nearly right-angled bends at the points where the tunnel goes under the river bed. These served two purposes: avoiding the local docks on each side of the river, and preventing horses from seeing daylight at the end of the tunnel too early which might make them bolt for the exit.
This has unfortunately made it difficult for motorised vehicles to traverse the tunnel safely. Large vehicles cannot easily pass the sharp bends and are therefore banned from entering the tunnel. The
speed limit of 20 miles per hour is enforced withspeed camera s but is frequently exceeded. A 2003 survey rated the Rotherhithe Tunnel the tenth most dangerous tunnel in the whole of Europe due to its poor safety features. [" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2970901.stm UK's 'dangerous' road tunnels] ", BBC News Online, 24 April 2003] Its proximity to the river also made it vulnerable to flooding, as happened in the1928 Thames flood . ["The South Side. Damage In Tooleystreet Area." "The Times", 9 January 1928] .Usage
Like London's other tunnels and bridges, the Rotherhithe Tunnel now carries far more traffic than it was designed for. It was well-used from the start, with 2,600 vehicles a day using it soon after it opened - a figure which was seen as easily justifying the expense of its construction. By 1955, usage had quadrupled to 10,500 vehicles a day and by 2005 usage had tripled again, to over 34,000 vehicles a day." [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/4049.aspx Rotherhithe Tunnel to close on Tuesday nights] ", Transport for London, 5 May 2005] The tunnel's heavy usage, particularly during rush hours, can lead to significant congestion and tailbacks in the vicinity.
Cyclists may use the tunnel, although it is not the safest option for crossing the River Thames due to the fumes and heavy traffic. Alternatives include
Tower Bridge to the west or theGreenwich foot tunnel to the east. Rotherhithe station was almost adjacent to the southern tunnel entrance, whilst Wapping was the closest station on the north side to the tunnel entrance in Limehouse. Pedestrians may also use the tunnel, although only approximately 20 do so per day.For safety, most cyclists ride along the ramp on either side of the carriageway, rather than using the carriageway itself.ee also
*
Crossings of the River Thames
*List of tunnels in the United Kingdom
*Tunnels underneath the River Thames References
Notes
Bibliography
External links
Crossings navbox
structure = Crossings
place =River Thames
upstream=Tower Bridge (road)Thames Tunnel (rail)|downstream=Canary Wharf - Rotherhithe Ferry |bridge = Rotherhithe Tunnel
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