RE: A3 Hindhead Tunnel Opens
Wednesday 27th July 2011
Hurry up folks, the cars want a go...Happy days for fans of tunnels (and those who wish to avoid the A3 bottleneck at Hindhead): the £371 million Hindhead Tunnel has been opened by Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond.
It has also come in on time and within budget (goodness). Southbound traffic starts using the tunnel today, and northbound traffic will be introduced to the new road later in the week.
Old A3 will be 'returned to nature'One word of warning, though - we hear there is a 40mph speed limit in force, guarded by average speed cameras... so it might have to be a first-gear 'noise test'...
A3 Hindhead Tunnel Opens
Commuters and lovers of engine noise celebrate new 1.2-mile tunnel
Hurry up folks, the cars want a go...
The 1.2-mile tunnel is - we're told - the longest of its type in the UK and forms part of a four-mile bypass of the Surrey village of Hindhead.
It will, reckons the Highways Agency, cut journey times along the A3 by more than 20 minutes during peak periods and removes the only remaining single-carriageway section on the A3 outside London, plugging another 'missing link in the UK's trunk road network.
But you don't want to know about that (probably. What you want to know about is what your 4/6/8/10/12-cylinder baby (delete as appropriate) is going to sound like bouncing off the tunnel's walls. The answer is surely going to be 'pretty good', provided your car's singing voice is strong enough, of course.
Old A3 will be 'returned to nature'
Discussion
I see the old A3 part is to be returned to nature. This would make a fabulous hill climb course, run from the bottom just before the road turning to Brook and running round the devils punch bowl right up to the cafe car park just before Barons of Hindhead BMW garage.Great corners, good gradient and for the first time in my lifetime no queues 
Hi guys, I work on the A3 hindhead tunnel project, and the long term speed limit of the tunnel is 100% 70MPH.
40mph has been used as the speed limit for the first 3 hours of tunnel running this morning, to allow cars and traffic to adapt to the new road layout.
Once it is clear that traffic is running safely, the limit will be raised to 70mph, which is where it will stay.
the 40mph signs are only to be activated when a single tunnel bore is operated in contraflow, allowing maintenance works in the other bore.
for 99% of the time, it'll be 70mph.
there are average speed check cameras at each end of the tunnel, set for 70mph traffic (what speed they will catch you at we are not told, I'd imagine 79-80)
the average speed check cameras are variable, so are able to catch you speeding when it's 70mph OR 40mph in contraflow.
Enjoy it folks!
40mph has been used as the speed limit for the first 3 hours of tunnel running this morning, to allow cars and traffic to adapt to the new road layout.
Once it is clear that traffic is running safely, the limit will be raised to 70mph, which is where it will stay.
the 40mph signs are only to be activated when a single tunnel bore is operated in contraflow, allowing maintenance works in the other bore.
for 99% of the time, it'll be 70mph.
there are average speed check cameras at each end of the tunnel, set for 70mph traffic (what speed they will catch you at we are not told, I'd imagine 79-80)
the average speed check cameras are variable, so are able to catch you speeding when it's 70mph OR 40mph in contraflow.
Enjoy it folks!
Prawny said:
Hi guys, I work on the A3 hindhead tunnel project, and the long term speed limit of the tunnel is 100% 70MPH.
40mph has been used as the speed limit for the first 3 hours of tunnel running this morning, to allow cars and traffic to adapt to the new road layout.
Once it is clear that traffic is running safely, the limit will be raised to 70mph, which is where it will stay.
the 40mph signs are only to be activated when a single tunnel bore is operated in contraflow, allowing maintenance works in the other bore.
for 99% of the time, it'll be 70mph.
there are average speed check cameras at each end of the tunnel, set for 70mph traffic (what speed they will catch you at we are not told, I'd imagine 79-80)
the average speed check cameras are variable, so are able to catch you speeding when it's 70mph OR 40mph in contraflow.
Enjoy it folks!
Thanks for the info, Prawny - that's great news!40mph has been used as the speed limit for the first 3 hours of tunnel running this morning, to allow cars and traffic to adapt to the new road layout.
Once it is clear that traffic is running safely, the limit will be raised to 70mph, which is where it will stay.
the 40mph signs are only to be activated when a single tunnel bore is operated in contraflow, allowing maintenance works in the other bore.
for 99% of the time, it'll be 70mph.
there are average speed check cameras at each end of the tunnel, set for 70mph traffic (what speed they will catch you at we are not told, I'd imagine 79-80)
the average speed check cameras are variable, so are able to catch you speeding when it's 70mph OR 40mph in contraflow.
Enjoy it folks!
There are simply too many new/updated road projects that get hijacked as an opportunity to cut speed limits
(the last section of the new main road into Weymouth is a prime example - well-sighted, wide and with no entry or exit points between two roundabouts and yet speed limit is 50mph rather than 60mph. makes no sense to me...)
Mattmeister said:
any chance a couple of runs through with a suitably loud car or bike will shatter the camera lenses?
I 2nd that... whats the point in creating a bottle neck as well as having a low speed limit considering its duel carriageway... it will just create more traffic in the long and short terms!!!! the tunnel looks like just one lane should have been designed with two lanes 
ok rant over.....
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