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Tuesday 19 Apr 2016

Work under way to repair collapsed tunnel in Howden

Region & Route:

A collapsed water tunnel near Howden which has led to the closure of the A614 will be fully rebuilt in around five weeks.

The culvert, which carries water alongside the railway and under the road, suffered a partial collapse in the early hours of last Thursday morning which led to the immediate closure of both carriageways, although the railway is far enough away from the site that it is unaffected by the incident.

The cause of the collapse remains under investigation, but work has already begun to replace the tunnel with a new structure and get the road reopened fully in around five weeks, with the plan to partially open the road sooner to allow single file traffic to pass through.

Mark Tarry, area director for Network Rail, which owns the structure, said: “Safely carrying out structural repairs to tunnels like this one is something we are very experienced in and work has already started to get the tunnel rebuilt and the road reopened. I’d like to thank those living in Howden or who would normally travel along the A614 for their patience and understanding while the repair project is carried out, with our teams working 24/7 to get the road reopened as soon as possible.”

Network Rail continues to work closely with both Yorkshire Water and East Riding of Yorkshire Council on all elements of the project, with an emergency diversion route currently in place for vehicles travelling through the area.