Tunnelvision
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Most road tunnels in the UK are dull affairs, generally. Feats of engineering, yes, and a marvel in many ways. But essentially they are long tubes that look much the same once you're inside.
The Blackwall Tunnel beneath the Thames in East London is slightly different. Constructed in the nineteenth century and initially used by horse-drawn traffic, it has been twinned with a modern tunnel and now carries northbound traffic on a high-capacity dual carriageway.
Traffic passes under a handsome archway before descending and entering the tunnel itself. The left lane runs down the middle of the tunnel to provide enough headroom for goods vehicles, and the right lane is therefore pushed to one side and suitable only for cars. What's more, it has several fiendishly sharp turns along its route that cause traffic to slow to about 15mph. The story goes that they were inserted deliberately so that horses wouldn't be frightened by being able to see the light at the far end of the tunnel.
This video was shot by Steven Jukes.
- Video captured
- 2005
- Running time
- 3'14"
