“It’s a shambolic situation” - Cost of Queensbury Tunnel saga continues to soar as dispute rumbles on

Highways England manages the 1.4-mile long Queensbury Tunnel in West Yorkshire on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Their plans to abandon the Victorian structure - prompted by safety concerns - are opposed by cycling and environmental campaigners, heritage groups and the local authorities at either end who hope to incorporate it into a new greenway connecting Bradford and Halifax.

Earlier this year, contractors installed strengthening at three shafts in the tunnel, but were unable to do so at a fourth due to flood water which inundated the structure after Highways England failed to pay the £50 annual rent on a pumping station, resulting in the facility being shut down. According to a spokesperson for the Government-owned company, the work is “now essential”.

In July, it revealed plans for divers to fit bags below the shaft and fill them with grout pumped from the dry part of the tunnel, 500 metres away. Preparations started in August, with the main phase due to finish in September.

However work has not yet started due to a ‘concept redesign’ and logistical constraints. The estimated cost has risen by £100,000 to £863,000, say campaigners, whilst additional investigations and minor works at the shaft have taken the overall bill to £1,013,177, the campaigners say.

Norah McWilliam, leader of the Queensbury Tunnel Society, said: “Back in August, the landowner offered to restart the pumping station for a partial dewatering of the tunnel, allowing Highways England to install the same type of strengthening used at the other shafts, cutting the cost of the scheme to about £200,000.

“Although they haven’t informed him formally, the landowner’s offer has apparently been rejected because of conditions which were intended to prevent Highways England carrying out unauthorised abandonment works - as they did at another shaft last year - under emergency powers that are not applicable at Queensbury because of the Environmental Impact Assessment covering the scheme.

“The landowner offered to discuss the conditions with Highways England, but they’ve just ignored him. Since then his agent has written to the Department for Transport to make clear their willingness to find a way forward. That letter’s been ignored too.”

Graeme Bickerdike, Engineering Coordinator for the Queensbury Tunnel Society, said: “The support structure at the bottom of this shaft is in fair condition and showing no meaningful signs of distress, so we don’t currently accept any need for these works.

“However, if Highways England genuinely believes that strengthening is ‘now essential’, the delays must be compromising public safety. Had they accepted the landowner’s offer - which they could and should have done - the work would have been finished weeks ago at a fraction of the cost.

“Instead they’re pushing ahead with a difficult scheme - now expected to take three months - which will expose the contractor’s workforce to significantly heightened risk, working within and above 4.6 metres of floodwater in a confined space with poor ventilation. They wouldn’t need to spend £42,328 to have a safety boat and rescue team on standby in the tunnel if they’d done the sensible thing and accepted the proposal to partially dewater it.

“It’s a shambolic situation. Highways England and the DfT keep insisting that safety is their main priority, but their actions suggest otherwise. Unfortunately the officials making these decisions are not sufficiently scrutinised and accountable.”

The shaft project has driven the cost of abandonment preparatory works to more than £5.2 million, almost ten times the original figure, according to the society.The main phase - which is contracted to cost £3 million - requires planning permission but, so far, more than 7,200 people have submitted objections. In 2018, consultants commissioned by Bradford Council estimated the tunnel’s repair cost at £6.9 million.

The Government has committed £1 million to technical and feasibility studies looking at the works needed to safely reopen Queensbury Tunnel and the development of a sustainable transport corridor connecting Bradford, Halifax and Keighley. Their precise scope was recently agreed by officials from Bradford and Calderdale councils, the Department for Transport, Highways England and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, with completion expected by March next year.

A Highways England spokesperson said: “We are continuing our work at Queensbury Tunnel, maintaining the safety of local communities and our workforce. This work benefits any future plans to reopen the tunnel by keeping it safe now, and supports the Department for Transport and West Yorkshire Combined Authority as they look at options for the future use of the structure.

“The tunnel needs strengthening to prevent further collapse, and for the safety of residents living close to the top of shaft three and our workforce. Preventing an uncontrolled collapse is the best option for keeping the tunnel viable for future use.

“We have no legal involvement with the adjacent landowners. Our remit is purely to maintain the safety and integrity of the structure.”

Highways England also said that on November 11, the Department for Transport, which owns the tunnel, deemed the offer from the landowner ‘unacceptable’ for the following reasons:

“The Department for Transport cannot undertake stabilising works which are prescribed by a third party which has no legal, safety or management responsibility for the tunnel.

“Liability for tunnel collapse sits with the Secretary of State, and as a result, the Department follows the professional advice of HE engineers; they have been appointed to manage the tunnel and to provide advice as to the works that are required to best protect the public.Highways England said that the Queensbury Tunnel Society/the landowner would not be able to give an unlimited indemnity to the Secretary of State in the event the shaft/tunnel collapsed owing to the works which the Society/the landowner prescribe proving to be insufficient. An indemnity of this nature, supported by public liability insurance in a sufficient sum and paid for by the Society/the landowner, would be required, Highways England said. 
“Highways England has a responsibility for their own staff and those of their contractors which cannot be outsourced.

“Highways England would need to be able to undertake the stabilising works without the threat of the pump being turned off at any moment should their professional view not be wholly in line with the landowner’s agent.

“Highways England provides the Secretary of State with professional advice on the most appropriate method of tunnel stabilisation. To date, the stabilisation works undertaken do not serve to prevent the tunnel from being re-opened in the future, Highways England said.They said the Department for Transport relies on Highways England’s professional advice in this regard, as it is imperative to ensure that the tunnel remains stable and does not collapse; public safety is the top priority.”
Highways England said the planning application submitted in May 2019 to close the tunnel is still with Bradford Council awaiting a decision.They also said their plans were communicated to Bradford Council before the Secretary of State for Transport’s announcement on 14 July.

Highways England also said that work is currently taking place to fill a short section of the tunnel under shaft three, which is a high-risk area where flooding has occurred and sections of the tunnel lining have continued to collapse onto the supports they installed last year.