Dartford Tunnel 'crumbling
Page 8
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• Reports this week that the Dartford Tunnel could be "crumbling at its foundations" have met with "tremendous concern" from the Freight Transport Association.
Engineers working for the tunnel's owners, Essex and Kent County Councils, warn that salt, brought in by trucks and cars, is corroding concrete road supports in both sections of the tunnel.
Its general manager, Rodney Jones, says repairs are urgent and could cost millions of pounds. A 2200 million bridge is being built, but will not be ready until 1991, and largescale repairs in the interim could create chaos, according to Richard Turner, the FTA's technical services director.
"The link is already very unreliable and overloaded and repairs now could reduce capacity even further. We have confidence in the manager and we know the tunnel is not going to collapse, but obviously we view this report with concern," he says.