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ARCHIVED - Tunnel linking Cadiz and Gibraltar finally opens after 15 years
Up until now, drivers have had to cross the runway at Gibraltar airport to get to neighbouring Andalucía
The Gibraltar Airport Tunnel, which will directly link the Rock with the Cadiz town of La Línea, will finally open to traffic a minute after midnight on Friday March 31 after nearly 15 years of delays. Up until now, the only way vehicles could flow in either direction was by crossing the runway, and cars had to be stopped at least 15 times a day to allow planes to land and take off.
Before the construction of this tunnel, Avenida Winston Churchill was the only road between Gibraltar and La Línea de la Concepción. The Gibraltar airport runway was built through it in 1941 and incorporated vehicular and pedestrian routes to and from Customs.
The original contract to build the tunnel was signed in November 2008 but work was halted for five years due to legal disputes.
The government on the Rock is confident that the new infrastructure will allow the uninterrupted flow of cars, motorbikes and commercial vehicles to and from the frontier, the Airport, Eroski supermarket, Western Beach and Four Corners.
Built to exacting British Standards, the dual carriageway tunnel will have two lanes in either direction with extra underpasses for bikes and electric scooters, pedestrians and people with limited mobility. But while walkers and cyclists will still be allowed to cross the runway, from Friday all motorised vehicles will have to use the tunnel.
The road from the new 'Devil's Tower Road' roundabout to the 'East Gate' roundabout is about 1.2 kilometres long, including about 350 meters of tunnel. The thoroughfare will be monitored on a constant basis to avoid traffic jams and in case of emergency, workers in the control tower will be able to communicate directly with drivers over a public address system.
In other news: Gibraltar seeks new Governor through LinkedIn
Image: HM Government of Gibraltar
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