Letter: Is The Guildford Tunnel Proposal Just A Distraction?

Published on: 27 Apr, 2016
Updated on: 27 Apr, 2016

From Bernard Parke

Hon Alderman and former Mayor of Guildford

Part of Guildford’s new transport strategy includes a proposal to build a tunnel under the A3. The projected cost is given as being in the region of £1.5 billion.

This may be a solution to solve the congestion of the A3 on its route through Guildford, but if the history of the Hindhead Tunnel is considered it would take at least two decades to be constructed.

Indeed, a Guildford tunnel would need to be considerably longer than the Hindhead venture and the cost of the project would might well escalate above the £1.5 billion mark.

In anticipation of this plan, large sections of land would become subject to a planning blight, making properties in the zone difficult to sell.

With such an ambitious scheme, at such a high cost, would tunneling ever actually begin?

Or is the whole idea just a distraction to lead to the public into thinking that developments on the Hog’s Back and Stag Hill, by Guildford Cathedral, will be acceptable because of this supposed massive investment in the infrastructure?

We should first ask where this money is to come from before further consideration is given to this scheme.

Responses to Letter: Is The Guildford Tunnel Proposal Just A Distraction?

Barry Williams Reply

April 27, 2016 at 1:03 pm

An A3 Guildford tunnel (actually Ripley to Compton) might be the least of the highway distractions to be faced in the future.

It would not surprise me to hear an announcement that a transport official is looking at an extension of the A331 from Tongham to link up with the A3 south of Milford to provide an alternative route to Reading and beyond, thereby providing relief capacity at the M25 / A3 junction 10.

Imagine also that the A331 extension were to join up with a new road from any development at Dunsfold Aerodrome – again linking up south of Milford.

Can’t happen? Perhaps – but just saying.
George Potter Reply

April 27, 2016 at 3:48 pm

Apparently, when Stephen Mansbridge dreamed up the tunnel idea he said it could be paid for by scrapping the HS2 railway project.

It’s alarming that such obviously absurd flights of fancy (that the government would scrap HS2 and decide to send £1.5 billion Guildford’s way instead) appear to have outlasted the former councillor’s leadership of Guildford council.
Bibhas Neogi Reply

April 27, 2016 at 4:18 pm

There has been a lot of discussion about whether putting the A3 in a tunnel under Guildford could be justified, feasible or affordable. Please see the posting and the associated comments in,-

https://guildford-dragon.com/2013/10/12/letter-ideas-affordable-road-tunnels/

A western bypass or a two lane viaduct over the existing A3 working as a tidal route for the through traffic are possibilities that could be explored.
Harry Eve Reply

April 30, 2016 at 1:25 pm

Has anyone worked out how many construction lorry journeys would be needed. What routes would they take? Which other boroughs would they pass through?

Where would the spoil be dumped? How long would it take to pay off the “sustainability deficit” by riding bicycles along the sustainable corridor into Guildford?

On the other hand, a tunnel would beneficial to those who live beside the A3 and would suffer badly from widening the road.
The obvious answer is to put a major traffic constraint on the housing number.