New Tyne road tunnel opens in north England The 1.5 km-long second Tyne road tunnel opened to traffic on 25.02.2011 after nearly three years work. The new tunnel will initially have one lane of traffic in each direction between Jarrow in South Tyneside and Howdon in North Tyneside while the existing tunnel is refurbished. Both tunnels will be opened to traffic by 2012. The EUR309 million project features a sophisticated Fogtec water mist system to suppress fires in both the existing and the new road tunnels. The tunnels are delineated in 130 sections of several different cross-sections. In the case of fire three adjacent sections, each 25 m in length, will be triggered simultaneously. Deluge nozzles are will provide full flow rates for every activated section, thus maximizing the effect of water mist from the beginning of activation. For more, go to tunnelbuilder archive uk/36. Visit www.tt2.co.uk and www.newtynecrossing.info. 10/11. Motorists enter the new Tyne tunnel for the first time