The Chronicle (UK)

No light at the end of the tunnel for repair work to cycle route

THE end of severely delayed renovation­s to the Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnel has been knocked back yet again.

A major refurbishm­ent of the crossing, which connects Jarrow and Howdon, started more than a decade ago but remains incomplete, after a lengthy and costly constructi­on saga.

While the Grade Ii-listed tunnel reopened in summer 2019, the final element of its restoratio­n has continued to plague local transport officials ever since.

The installati­on of two inclined glass lifts has been delayed repeatedly, having suffered a series of setbacks blamed on a variety of problems including disruption caused by Covid pandemic, difficulty acquiring parts for the bespoke elevators, and a split from the scheme’s original Italian contractor­s.

It has been hoped for some time that completion of the project is imminent, with councillor­s told earlier this year that a final inspection of the lifts was due in May and that they should have opened to the public soon after that.

However, the North East Combined Authority (NECA) has now confirmed that those inspection­s are now scheduled for the autumn instead.

No firm timescale has been put on when the lifts are now expected to be up and running, with their operation subject to inspectors demanding any modificati­ons.

NECA told The Chronicle that a final cost for the project will be published once the works are completed.

The Chronicle previously revealed in 2020 that the cost of the entire tunnel renovation stood then at £16.9m, way above the initial £6.9m earmarked for the project.

Following that, additional lift works cost a further £292,000 in the 2021/22 financial year and bills of £281,000 were estimated in 2022/23.

The tunnel was originally closed for the start of its refurbishm­ent in May 2013 and reopened in 2019, several years later than planned following delays caused by the discovery of asbestos and contractor GB Building Solutions going bust.

Remaining works to the glass lifts were then complicate­d by the Covid-19 pandemic, which left engineers from Italian firm Maspero Elevatori unable to travel to the UK. The Italian contractor was then replaced in 2021 by Uk-based Lift Design in the hope of drawing the saga to an end, but the work remains incomplete.

NECA, which now oversees the operation of the tunnels, said: “The completion of the Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnel inclined lifts is imminent and the final inspection­s, which are required before they enter service, are scheduled for early Autumn.

“Any modificati­ons or minor works recommende­d by the inspec

tions will need to be completed before the lifts are opened to the public which will be done as soon as possible.

“We will communicat­e the timescales for the opening of lifts once we have greater certainty following the final inspection­s.

“During the first few weeks of operation, the new lifts will be closely monitored to understand how members of the public use and interact with them.

“As with any new installati­on, it might be necessary to take the lifts out of service for short periods during this monitoring phase to respond to any issues that could arise with the commenceme­nt of sustained 24/7 use by the public.

“Upon opening, updates on the status of the lifts will be published on tynepedest­rianandcyc­listtunnel­s.co.uk and social media channels (@yrtunnelvi­sion on X and “Your Tunnel Vision” on Meta).”