Lyttelton road tunnel

Story

The Lyttelton road tunnel runs beneath the Port Hills to the south of the New Zealand city of Christchurch and links the city with its seaport, Lyttelton. It opened in 1964 and carries just over 10,000 vehicles per day as part of State Highway 74. At 1970m, it was the longest road tunnel in New Zealand from its opening until 2 July 2017, when it was superseded by the Waterview Tunnels.While the tunnel itself was not damaged due to the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the Heathcote tunnel canopy was destroyed. The nearby Tunnel Control Building — a Category I heritage building — suffered significant damage and was closed, before finally being demolished in 2013. Construction of a new control building was completed in 2014.HistoryLyttelton and Christchurch have been linked by a rail tunnel since 1867. However road transport was restricted to routes over the Port Hills, either via Evans Pass or the Sign of the Kiwi.Construction of the road tunnel started in 1962 and was completed in 1964 at a cost of £2.7 million. When it officially opened on 27 February 1964 it was hailed by the local community as "the new gateway for the Port to the Plains" and a significant development in the history of the region. A 20 cent toll levied to use the tunnel was abolished by the Christchurch-Lyttelton Road Tunnel Authority Dissolution Act 1978, which became effective on 1 April 1979.