Why is blackwall tunnel so bendy

To provide an opportunity for that last powerslide enroute to the office? Marcos Maniac 3, posts months. CarZee said: The tracking was out on the tunnelling machine? I think that was the reason for the bends and dips in the tunnels on the A27 Brighton By-Pass. Mel, I used to live nearby and heard two reasons. Apparently the horses didn't like the long straight view to a pinprick of light at the other end That's an interesting theory.

I heard that it follows the course of the easy-to-dig soil, so it waas cheaper and quicker that way. In the same way that most of the London Underground is north of the river, with softer soil Sheepy 3, posts months. If it didn't have a bend, the two ends wouldn't join together :P.

Jamie H 29, posts months. When the tunnel opened fully in it was the longest underwater tunnel in the world, at feet. Construction, using the tunneling shield technique pioneered by Marc Isambard Brunel in the building of his Thames Tunnel, was difficult. The tunnel had to be excavated through sand, and in places ran less than 6 feet beneath the river bed. A second prallel tunnel was opened in to ease traffic congestion. Image No. Terms and Conditions. Again they're keen to keep vehicle numbers down so tolls would be introduced from day one.

The money collected would also go towards the cost of building the bridge in the first place, because governments don't tend to go round dishing out generous infrastructure handouts these days. And this would create four consecutive tolled crossings on the lower Thames, where previously there was only one.

A subterranean crossing would eat up a lot less land than an enormous bridge, increasing the available area for new houses and bringing greater benefits overall. But tunnels are also much more expensive than bridges, hence TfL aren't keen, and since when were they responsible for housing policy anyway?

A Gallions Crossing won't be completed before , if at all, and even the Silvertown Tunnel isn't pencilled in before The latter project is currently at the consultation stage, with TfL now seeking your opinions on the tunnel's design rather than whether it should be built in the first place.

Many are not pleased , given the pollution and traffic noise the tunnel will bring, especially on shared approach roads south of the river. But the alternative is a disconnected and inefficient city, and a river it's remarkably difficult to cross. T R B W Q Tolled tunnels and greater capacity, or the status quo and queueing traffic - we'll likely end up with one or the other. Read the facts , take your pick , have your say. Life viewed from London E3 » email me » follow me on twitter » follow the blog on Twitter » follow the blog on RSS » my flickr photostream.