Clyde Tunnel facts for kids
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| The south entrance of the Clyde Tunnel in Linthouse | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | River Clyde, Linthouse and Whiteinch in Glasgow |
| Coordinates | 55°52′07″N 4°19′52″W / 55.86867°N 4.33115°W |
| Route | part of A739 |
| Operation | |
| Operator | Glasgow City Council |
| Traffic | 65,000 |
| Toll | Free |
| Technical | |
| Design engineer | Sir Alan Muir Wood of Halcrow |
| Length | 762 m (2,500 ft) (northbound and southbound) |
| Number of lanes | 4 |
| Tunnel clearance | 17 ft 6 in (5.3 m) |
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The Clyde Tunnel is a special underground crossing in Glasgow, Scotland. It goes beneath the River Clyde. This tunnel is used by cars, bikes, and people walking. It has two separate tunnel tubes that connect the areas of Whiteinch in the north and Govan in the south.
Contents
Why Was the Clyde Tunnel Built?
After World War II, Glasgow needed better ways to get around. Crossing the River Clyde was a big problem. People thought it was impossible to build a bridge in the city center because of all the ships. So, building a tunnel under the river was the best idea.
A much smaller tunnel, the Harbour Tunnel, was built in the 1890s. But the Clyde Tunnel was planned for the time when more and more cars were on the road. It was going to be a much bigger project. The plan for the tunnel was approved in 1948. However, money problems meant that building work didn't start until 1957.
How Was the Tunnel Built?
Building the tunnel started in 1957. Workers used special machines called tunnelling shields. These machines were like giant metal cylinders that dug through the ground. They were based on a design used over 100 years earlier for the Thames Tunnel.
The tunnels were dug in a perfect circle. The road for cars sits about one-third of the way up inside the circle. Below the road, there are tunnels for people walking and cycling. There are also special air ducts for ventilation.
About 16 miners worked in shifts to operate the digging shield. They worked in a special compressed air environment. This high pressure helped stop the rock and river water from collapsing into the tunnel. Digging was very hard because of the ground. There was tough rock under a soft, muddy layer beneath the river.
Working in high-pressure air was very risky back then. The methods for safely returning to normal air pressure were not perfect. Also, some workers didn't follow the long safety steps. Because of this, some workers got sick, and sadly, two people died. Work on the tunnel even stopped for a while after an explosion. This happened when compressed air escaped through the tunnel lining and burst out into the river like a fountain.
The first tunnel, for traffic going north, opened on July 3, 1963. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened it. The second tunnel, for traffic going south, opened in March 1964. The whole project cost about £10 million. By this time, new technology meant that bridges could be built further down the river. These included the Kingston Bridge and the Erskine Bridge.
Inside the Tunnels
Each road tunnel is 762 meters (2,500 feet) long. They go downhill at a slope of about 6%. The river at this point is 123 meters (404 feet) wide. Each road tunnel has two lanes for cars. They are part of the A739 road. The two tunnels are completely separate. There is only a very small passage between them at the lowest point. This passage is barely big enough for one person to walk through.
The tunnels are watched and controlled from two tall buildings called Portal towers. One tower is at each end of the tunnel. CCTV cameras watch the entire tunnel to keep everyone safe. Below the car roads are the tunnels for people walking and cycling. Even further below are the tunnels for the tunnel's services, like pipes and cables.
Tunnels for Walkers and Cyclists
Both the eastern and western tunnels are open for people walking. Cyclists use the eastern tunnel if they are going south. They use the western tunnel if they are going north. In 2008, new CCTV systems were put in at the entrances to these tunnels. This was done to help make them safer and reduce bad behavior.
Keeping the Tunnel in Good Shape
When the tunnel was being built, people thought about 9,000 to 13,000 vehicles would use it each day. But on the very first day it opened, 22,000 vehicles used it! Today, about 65,000 vehicles use the tunnel every day.
Because so many more cars use the tunnel than expected, it wears out faster. This means the tunnel has to close often for repairs and updates. This has caused traffic problems in the area for over ten years.
More recent repairs cost as much as it did to build the tunnel in the first place! These repairs added a new, fireproof layer to the tunnel. This helped the tunnel meet modern European safety rules after big fires in other tunnels like the St Gotthard and Mont Blanc tunnels. New air systems and new lighting were also installed.
Work started in March 2005 and was supposed to finish by April 2006. One tunnel was closed during quiet hours (7 PM to 7 AM daily). But there were problems, so the work wasn't finished until 2010.
During these roadworks, there was also an art project called "Hold Your Breath." This project aimed to make traveling through the tunnel a more artistic experience. The pedestrian tunnel also had years of graffiti removed to make it look nicer. However, new graffiti often appeared soon after it was cleaned.
The Breath-Holding Game
A fun game for local children, and even some adults, is trying to hold their breath while driving through the Clyde Tunnel. This is possible because the tunnel isn't very long. A car going at the speed limit of 30 mph (50 km/h) takes about 57 seconds to get through. It's harder to win if traffic slows down, especially at the north end. This breath-holding game was even featured in a video by Scottish artist Roderick Buchanan called Gobstopper. He won an art prize for it in 2000.
