Not a tacky'Liverpool at Night' postcard. This is the view of the tunnel under the tunnel. The bend is at the River Mersey mid-point and shows the begining of the ascent into Birkenhead.

The tunnel under the tunnel is known as Central Avenue. It is directly under the two central lanes of traffic. Originally it was going to house a tramway but this idea fell by the wayside as other transport methods became more popular.

The space was then rented out to British Gas who fitted a large pipe to transport gas from one side of the river to the other. This pipe is now defunct as substances are transported via different methods.

The pipe in Central Avenue.

Water which has seeped into the tunnel collects in the bottom of Central Avenue. It flows to mid-river where is comes into the mid-river pumping station and is pumped out of the tunnel.

This vehicle is used by the tunnel staff to mark the ceiling.

This vehicle is a Morris - it is now stuck in the tunnel as it straddles the gas pipe in the middle of Central Avenue. It is used by staff when they travel the length of the tunnel marking cracks in the ceiling. Unfortunately it cannot be turned around so one of the employees has to draw the short straw each time to reverse the length of the tunnel!

These markings on the ceiling relate to the cracks which have formed over time. In total there are 10,660 of them. The tunnel road deck has been strengthened 3 times but it cannot be done again as the supports would get too near the air vents meaning the ventilation system would have to be re-fitted.

Tunnel Opening
Facts and Figures
Tunnel Tour