Race is on to find cash for tunnels

LEEDS Council is in a race against time to raise millions of pounds to repair crumbling city centre road tunnels which carry up to 80,000 vehicles a day.

Parts of the inner ring road have deteriorated to the point where they could facing closure within 12 months.

Almost £25m worth of repairs are needed but the council has only enough money to cover about a quarter of the cost.

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A council report warns that structures on the inner ring road, which forms the A58 and A64 through the heart of the city, are crumbling away. They were constructed between 1964 and 1974.

“The highway structures on this strategic route have been deteriorating over the last ten years despite significant investment and are continuing to deteriorate,” the report says.

“The current highway structures budgets are insufficient to carry out the more extensive maintenance works now needed and to ensure the integrity of these structures.”

The problems are most severe at Woodhouse Tunnel, Lovell Park Road Bridge (adjacent to the Leeds Arena site) and New York Road eastbound viaduct.

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Safety inspections are carried out every three months at Woodhouse Tunnel and Lovell Park Road Bridge.

Key parts of the three structures have deteriorated so much substantial work is needed during the next five years. If work is not done, sections of the inner ring road will need to be closed.

Engineers have warned that failure to carry out the work will put safety at risk and could lead to the closure of the inner ring road. Restrictions on the width or weight of vehicles may have to be considered.

Work costing £1.2m is currently being carried out on the roof of the Woodhouse Tunnel but this is only addressing the most severe areas of concrete deterioration, about 10 per cent of the total roof area.

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The extent of the work required far exceeds the money available locally and the council is to bid for Department of Transport money to make up the shortfall of the total cost, estimated at around £25m.

A decision on funding is expected by the end of the year.

Although work on the three structures is critical, further work is needed to determine the longterm future of the inner ring road.

The worst-case scenario for the council – and for hundreds of thousands of drivers – would be the closure of parts of the ring road.

The report, to be discussed by members of the Executive committee on Wednesday, warns that time is running out.

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“Based on the current deterioration of the structures it is anticipated that the inner ring road below Lovell Park Road would need to be closed in the next 12 months and that Woodhouse Tunnel would need to be closed by 2016/17.

“This would have a huge impact on the local economy and the attractiveness of Leeds as a city to invest in, or to live and work in.”

A spokeswoman for the council said the authority was proposing to contribute £6.45m of the cost and is bidding for £18.5m from the Department of Transport.

Councillor Richard Lewis, the executive member responsible for highways maintenance, said it was essential to find the money for repairs.

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“Life in Leeds is heavily dependent on the Inner Ring Road. It is a massive asset to the city and the wider city region. It carries around 75,000 vehicles every day and it is the pulse of the city’s economy, yet most people use it without even thinking about it.

“But after 50 years of intense use some of the structures have deteriorated badly and it is absolutely essential that we find the money to complete this work. Without it we could face having to close parts of the Ring Road altogether.

“This is a road that has served this city well for nearly 50 years and our priority is that it has the necessary repairs and maintenance work done to ensure it continues to serve our city for many years to come.”