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The Saltash Tunnel is a road tunnel on the A38 at Saltash in Cornwall, UK.
Opened in 1988, it is the only 3-lane road tunnel in Europe.[1] The central lane operates as a reversible lane to cope with holiday traffic and the speed limit is 30mph.[2] The tunnel is used by more than 38,000 motorists per day and is 410m long.[3] It was designed by Mott, Hay and Anderson, built by Balfour Beatty, and has a design life of at least 100 years.[4]
During construction of the tunnel a problem was encountered with flooding due to the saturation of the surrounding rocks. The resultant flow of water was channeled through the tunnel, hidden by a decorative cladding. Within a few months this cladding had begun to crack and water entered the part of the tunnel reserved for traffic; although no structural problems were found the water staining on the cladding gave the impression of a poorly built tunnel.[5] This was commented upon in parliament by the local MP, Colin Breed, and a £7.4 million renovation project was contracted to Skanska to provide for a new tunnel lining and improvements to the electric system.[6]
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