Dudley Ward Way
| Dudley Ward Way | |
| Gibraltar | |
|---|---|
 Northern entrance to Dudley Ward Way | |
| Location | |
| Location | |
| Location: | 36°7’31"N, 5°20’28"W |
| Structure | |
| Length: | 0.3 mile |
| History | |
| Built 1956-1968 | |
| Opened 1968 | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Government of Gibraltar |
| Operated by: | Government of Gibraltar |
Dudley Ward Way is a road tunnel through the south-eastern part of the Rock of Gibraltar, linking Europa Point with the east side of Gibraltar (including Catalan Bay and Sandy Bay), joining the Europa Advance Road at the point with the Sir Herbert Miles Road which runs along the east side.
The tunnel is named after Sir Alfred Dudley Ward, Governor of Gibraltar from 8 June 1962 to 5 August 1965.
Opening
Dudley Ward Way was built during the 1956-1968 period by the Army.[1] After the end of military tunnelling and the departure of the tunnellers of the Royal Engineers, the maintenance of the tunnel was transferred to the civilian authorities.
Closure and reopening
On 18 February 2002, a rockfall at the approach road to the tunnel from the north killed a local man, Brian Navarro, while he was exiting the tunnel in his car. As a result, the Government of Gibraltar concluded that the risk of further such incidents was too great, and the tunnel was closed indefinitely.[2]
In 2007, the reopening of the Dudley Ward Tunnel was proposed by the Government in order to ease traffic flow in the area of the new Rosia residential developments. Works on the stabilisation of the Rock's cliff began in summer 2009[3] and the tunnel reopened to traffic on 2 November 2010.[4] To commemorate Brian Navarro, whose death beneath a rockfall had closed the tunnel in 2002, a plaque was placed at the site and the section of road, from the Admiralty Tunnel entrance in Sandy Bay to Dudley Ward Way's northern entrance, renamed 'Brian Navarro Way'.[4]
The total cost to the Government of the works to reopen the tunnel was £10.6 million.[4]
References
- ↑ Rose, Edward P.F.: 'The environmental legacy of military operations': 'Military Engineering on the Rock of Gibraltar and its Geoenvironmental Legacy (Geological Society of America, 2001) ISBN 0-8137-4114-9
- ↑ 'Rockfall Mitigation: The Gibraltar Experience]' (Maccaferri)
- ↑ [Dudley Ward Way Tunnel should open next spring': Gibraltar Chronicle 10 August 2009
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 'Light at the end of Dudley Ward Tunnel': Gibraltar Chronicle 1 November 2010