UK Roads - Going Underground

Going Underground

Tunnels

Road

Name

Feature/Structure

Construction

Length (m)

Date Opened

Toll

M4

Brynglas1

[Steep Hill]

Bored

365

1965-80

M25

Bell Common

Epping Forest

Cut & Cover

450

1984

M25

Holmesdale

[Built-up Area]

Cut & Cover

600

1984

A1(M)

Hatfield

Galleria Shopping Centre

Cut & Cover

1400

1986

A58(M)

Inner Ring Road

Leeds General Infirmary

Cut & Cover

367

1964-75

A3

Hindhead

Bored/Cut & Cover

1800

2009

A19

Tyne

River Tyne

Bored

1645

1967

Toll

A19

2nd Tyne

River Tyne

Immersed Tube

2600

2008

A20

Folkestone

Round Hill

Bored

365?

A26

Cuilfail

[Built-up Area]

Bored

420

A27

Mile Oak

Southwick Hill

Bored

390

1994

A38

Saltash

[Built-up Area]

Bored

370

1981

A40

Monmouth

[Escarpment]

Bored

185

A55

Conwy

River Conwy

Immersed Tube

1089

1991

A55

Dwygyfylchi

Penmaen-Bach

Bored

660

1989

A55

Penmaenmawr

Penmaenmawr

Bored

930

1983

A57

Mottram

Cut & Cover

170

2007

A101

Rotherhithe

River Thames

Bored

1705

1908

A102

Blackwall (Northbound)

River Thames

Bored

1362

1897

A102

Blackwall (Southbound)

River Thames

Bored

1201

1967

A282

Dartford (Northbound)2

River Thames

Twin Bored

1436

1963/1980

Toll

A289

Medway

River Medway

Immersed Tube

720

1996

A299

Chestfield

Chestfield Golf Course

Cut & Cover

A299

Pegwell3

[Bulit-up Area]

Bored

800

2000

A303

Stonehenge

World Heritage Site

Bored

2100

2009

A505

Baldock

Weston Hills

230

2006

A538

Manchester Airport4

[Airport Runway]

Cut & Cover

400

A643

Holbeck

[Playing Fields]

Cut & Cover

160

A658

Leeds-Bradford Airport

[Airport Runway]

Cut & Cover

237

A739

Clyde

River Clyde

Bored

760

1963

A1203

Limehouse Link

Limehouse Basin

Cut & Cover

1800

1993

A1261

Aspen Way (Eastbound)5

[Bulit-up Area]

Bored

A4232

Butetown

[Built-up Area]

Bored

715

(Tunnel)

Kingsway (Eastbound)

River Mersey

Bored

3237

1934

(Tunnel)

Queensway (Westbound)

River Mersey

Bored

2438

1971

[Unclassified]

Caernarfon Castle Square, Caernarfon, Gwynedd6

[Built-up Area]

Bored


1999

[Unclassified]

Heathrow Vehicle Tunnel, Heathrow, London

Heathrow Airport

Cut & Cover

628

[Unclassified]

Manifold or Swainsley Tunnel, Swainsley, Staffordshire7

Swainsley Hills

Bored

[Unclassified]

Samphire Hoe, Dover, Kent

Dover Cliffs

Bored

[Restricted]

Heathrow Cargo Tunnel, Heathrow, London8

Heathrow Airport

Cut & Cover

1986?

[Restricted]

Park Tunnel, Nottingham9

Nottingham Castle Rock

Bored

1850?

Underpasses (some signed as tunnels)

Road

Name

Feature/Structure

Construction

Length (m)

Date Opened

Toll

M1/M62

Lofthouse Interchange

[Subsurface Road]

Cut & Cover

1999

M8

Charing Cross

[Subsurface Road]

Cut & Cover

1972

A167(M)

Central Motorway East

[Subsurface Road]

Cut & Cover

A2

Rochester Way

Cut & Cover

156

A4

Hyde Park Corner

[Subsurface Road]

Cut & Cover

310

A12

Cambridge Park

George Green

Cut & Cover

A23

Gatwick Airport

South Terminal Building

Buildings Above Street Level

A40

Hanger Lane

[Subsurface Road]

Cut & Cover

241

A50

Meir

[Subsurface Road]

Cut & Cover

280

A62

Castlegate

[Subsurface Road]

Cut & Cover

A301/A4200

Aldwych Underpass10

Kingsway/Aldwych/Lancaster Place

Cut & Cover

365

1964

A302

Westminster Bridge Road

Waterloo Station

Buildings Above Street Level



A406

Angel Road

[Subsurface Road]

Cut & Cover

A594

St Nicholas Circle

[Subsurface Road]

Cut & Cover

A3211

Upper Thames Street

City of London School

Cut & Cover

A4044

Temple Way

[Subsurface Road]

Cut & Cover

A4400

Paradise Circus

[Subsurface Road]

Cut & Cover

500

A4400

Smallbrook Queensway

[Subsurface Road]

Cut & Cover

548

A4400

St Chads Circus

[Subsurface Road]

Cut & Cover

192

B100

Beech Street

The Barbican

Buildings Above Street Level

B986

Denburn Road

[Car Park]

Cut & Cover

B4100

Lancaster Circus

[Subsurface Road]

Cut & Cover

197

[Unclassified]

Castle Baynard Street, Blackfriars, London

City of London School

Cut & Cover

[Unclassified]

Joiner Street/Stainer Street/Weston Street, London Bridge, London

London Bridge Station

Buildings Above Street Level

[Unclassified]

Lower Downs Road, Raynes Park, London

[Railway Lines]

Parallel Viaducts

[Unclassified]

Neville Street/Swinegate, Leeds

Leeds Station

Buildings Above Street Level

[Unclassified]

Stansted Airport, Essex

Terminal Building

Buildings Above Street Level

[Unclassified]

Travis Street, Piccadilly, Manchester

Manchester Piccadilly Station

Buildings Above Street Level


1. Buildings above the tunnel suffered subsidence over the years, so extra work was ongoing for some time – more details here.

2. Formerly separate northbound and southbound tunnels before the QEII bridge was opened and the southbound flow was reversed.

3. Formerly the A253.

4. Two short stretches of tunnel, one under each runway. View looking north | View looking south

5. Will fully open as a two-way tunnel after the completion of the A13 work at Canning Town.

6. Uses former Bangor - Caernarfon railway tunnel, opened 1852.

7. Uses single-track former Leek & Manifold Light Railway tunnel; also part of the route of the Manifold Trail. View looking north | View looking south

8. Used by airside buses to transfer passengers from Terminals 1,2,3 to Terminal 4.

9. Found at the end of Tunnel Road, The Park, Nottingham. Not for vehicular access, but curiously wonderful enough to merit entry. View looking north.

10. Aldwych Underpass opened to motor traffic in 1964; before that it was a tram tunnel – more details here.


Please send me your corrections or additions to this page.