Plan for massive SUPER-TUNNEL under Pennines linking Sheffield and Manchester
AN 18-mile tunnel could be built linking two major northern cities and shaving 30 minutes from journeys.
AN 18-mile tunnel could be built between Manchester and Sheffield
The Trans-Pennine Tunnel Study, published by Highways England, discovered that a tunnel between Sheffield and Manchester would be feasible.
The tunnel would be open in all weathers and would go under the Woodhead Pass in the Peak District, which is often closed during the winter due to bad conditions.
The project would help to develop the Government’s northern economic powerhouse plan.
The tunnel could shave 30 minutes off the commute
The tunnel would cut through the Pennines
According to the report: “Such a connection could have a dramatic impact on the economy of the north, particularly in combination with plans for high speed rail links. It would be capable of fundamentally changing the nature of the journey between two of the most important cities of the north.”
The report also claims that the construction would be the most ambitious road scheme since the construction of the first motorways 50 years ago.
The report added: “The reduced travel over the Pennines could itself have positive impacts on the environment.”
This would be the most ambitious road scheme since the first motorways 50 years ago
The Northern Transport Strategy report recognises that the north of England would benefit from improved transport links between its cities.
The study has highlighted that the long tunnel could have ‘practical and psychological difficulties’ for drivers and design could help.
Reduced visibility because of poor lighting, poor orientation and being dazzled by the lights of oncoming vehicles are some of the potential issues of the tunnel.
The scheme is at a too early stage to give an in depth analysis of the economic costs and benefits and the results of the preliminary study will be published in 2016.