Lane-Cove-Tunnel
Template: Infobox several high-level roads / maintenance / AU -M
States:
New South Wales
The Lane Cove Tunnel is a motorway tunnel in the north of Sydney in the east of the Australian state of New South Wales. It connects the Gore Hill Freeway in Lane Cove with the Hills Motorway at North Ryde.
Course
The Lane Cove Tunnel begins at the western edge of the suburb of Lane Cove where the Pacific Highway (Met -1) crosses the Gore Hill Freeway (Met -1). He heads west under the suburb of Lane Cove and Lane Cove River and terminates after 3.6 km in the North Ryde, where the Hills Motorway (Met -2) connects to the northwest.
History
The AU $ 1.1 billion expensive tunnel was built by a joint venture between Thiess and John Holland. Before its completion, motorists had to drive on the Epping Road Lane Cove through to get from the Gore Hill Freeway to the Hills Motorway.
In the morning hours of November 2, 2005, the ceiling of an air guide tunnel for the project collapsed. Due to the collapse was the road that led through this tunnel, and after a three-story building at the Longueville Road 11-13 was affected. The collapse caused a 10 mx 10 m wide crater at the exit of the Pacific Highway at Lane Cove to the south. 47 people had to be evacuated from the building. Rescuers pumped 1,000 cubic meters of concrete into the hole to keep the building from collapsing. An investigation by WorkCover NSW showed that the collapse was caused by the geological conditions at the accident, the large span of the tunnel and insufficient support of the ceiling. The damage to private property caused by the collapse just below the earth's surface.
On 25 March 2007, the tunnel of four workers, their 9,000 colleagues who had worked on this project represented, was opened, two months ahead of schedule. In the first month of the tunnel was toll-free to navigate.
Connector Motorways was the owner and operator of the Lane Cove Tunnel and Falcon Street Gateway. The company should operate the tunnel to 2037 ( against payment of a toll ). The " failed infrastructure project ", however, was a disaster for the company, which went bankrupt in January 2010 after she had made only loss to the tunnel. Transurban, a company that already operates other toll roads in Sydney, bought the tunnel in May 2010 for AU $ 630 million and thus became the new operator.
Toll
2012 is the toll for the use of the Lane Cove Tunnel AU $ 2.94 for cars and AU $ 5.87 for trucks. They will be adjusted according to the consumer price index.
Alternative routes
Before the opening of the Lane Cove Tunnel motorists the Epping Road through the suburb of Lane Cove had to take. Studies of the tunnel operator have shown that the tunnel driving time is shortened by an average of 17 minutes and so motorists about AU $ 4, - saved per route.
With the completion of the changes to the roads at the surface has the Epping Road bus lanes permanent, which also saves the buses driving time, a new bus station, a combined foot and bicycle path and other improvements. The car traffic is routed to the new toll road.
Falcon Street Gateway
The Falcon Street Gateway consists of two entrances and exits on the Warringah Freeway, connecting the Military Road at him. The toll for this is AU $ 1.32 for cars and AU $ 2.62 for trucks. The operator indicates that up to 19 sets of traffic lights at the Pacific Highway can be bypassed by the new connections. The Falcon Street Gateway is part of a larger project for widening the Gore Hills Freeway and better connection of the coastline north of Sydney.