Under the Devil's Punchbowl

[@bjorn2625]

Drive through this almost every day and can’t imagine life without it. If anyone who worked on the project ever read this comment, please accept my deepest thanks for all the hard work and for a job well done ❤

[@johnlennox-pe2nq]

pleeese do not thank these carbon addicted romanticized petrol heads - they could have made a cycling route, a pack horse track - anything to save the planet

[@Neilda]

An interesting film... I used the old A3 for many years and Hindhead was always difficult (sometimes horrendous) to get through. The tunnel has made a massive and positive difference - we just take it for granted now. I took a film of driving the old A3 northbound a few days before it closed for good. Funny how I can still remember it so clearly.

[@winniewotsit4452]

I too remember the old route, the scenery was great but what a pain when it was busy. Even so, if you were able to post your film of the old road here on YT, I reckon it would be quite popular. Just a thought.

[@100SteveB]

I remember driving down to Portsmouth many times to catch a ferry, the old route would always leave you wondering how bad the delays at Hindhead would be, and how much extra time you should leave in order to get to the ferry on time. The opening of the tunnel solved all of that. I started driving back in the 80's, and some of the roads have changed beyond recognition. The A3 south of Guildford, the A31 Hog's back, the A23 and A27 to name but a few.

[@GT380man]

I used to motorcycle along the old route in the 1980s, as I’d lived in Portsmouth and went to university at Guildford.

[@helpmaboabb]

Oh yes, I lived 2 miles the wrong side of Hindhead for 20 years of morning commutes to London - 25 mins was about the average wait. I recall the blurb about how house prices would rocket south of Hindhead post-tunnel, but I don't think it ever happened.

[@mikesmith8187]

I lived in Hindhead for 47 years, and remember the work being undertaken. This was originally planned at the end of WW2, but was constantly put back. When the two tunnels met up, they were just 8mm off.! Incredible accuracy.

[@NOWThatsRichy]

Was it really that far back that it was first talked about! I remember my dad telling me there had been various plans for alternative routes since the 1960s, including a huge bridge straight across the Punchbowl & long bypasses to both the north & south of the area.

[@josho1994]

The UK doesnt have many Engineering success stories quite like this. It is very nice to see a project that peaked the public's interest and involved so much consideration for locals and wildlife. Coming in under budget is also very impressive. Wouldnt get that these days!

[@sr6633]

As a truck driver I was constantly using the A3 before and now after it's construction.. You could always expect lengthy ques leading up to Hindhead traffic lights from both directions.. What a fantastic achievement. I always think off the old A3 every time I drive through.

[@lawrencemartin1113]

I grew up in Guildford and would often be driven, and later, drive myself around the Hindhead area and around 'The Devil's Punchbowl' with family and friends. The congestion through Hindhead village grew worse and worse over many years amd it became a dangerous road in fog or heavy rain. (I seem to remember a lot of fog!) . The tunnel construction and regeneration has been a massive success story in the area and this is a great film which shows the incredible hard work and commitment that goes into such a scheme. Wonderful.

[@multiSamP23]

I have used these roads for years with my truck and it makes such a huge difference not having to go through Hindhead any longer. The queues at those lights could be 3 miles long sometimes. Gradually, the A3 is getting sorted out. The new improvements up at the M25 are going on at the moment. We could do with some sort of flyover at the Liss roundabout, and I would love to see a bypass to the north of Guildford. I would think a new road from the Clay Lane junction could go up over Jacobs Well and round to come out with a new junction on top of the Hogs Back (somewhere past the bridge) which could really straigten out the present situation linking the A3 and A31 properly in both directions.

[@johnpbh]

What a brilliant video. I've been travelling that road from Portsmouth at various times for at least 60 years.... as a kid the old road beside the punchbowl was a landmark that I always enjoyed seeing.... but as an adult I think the tunnel is a marvellous feature and the way they achieved it is quite stunning. And I can still pull of and go to the National Trust cafe for a tea and bacon roll and then go wandering to see the punchbowl before continuing on my way in either direction.

[@andylloydweston1329]

Love seeing these kind of documentaries. Very informative, great work 👍

[@herseem]

The holdups were legendary and the tunnel has made a huge difference to the journey times, as well as to emissions. I wish the old route was still available though because it was interesting and scenic if you weren't in a massive hurry

[@RichardBacon-h5x]

I used to commute the Hindhead section of the A3 and the traffic jams were awful. I moved locally in 2009 and saw first hand the effect of opening the tunnel. After years and years of arguments about what was the right solution, to see it resolved was and is fantastic. There is no doubt that it has improved the lives for the surrounding communities and also those using the A3. The only disappointments have been the frequency of intermittent false safety alerts and the frequency of closures, mostly after 10pm, to do maintenance on all that sophisticated sensoring and safety equipment. However, the contraflows keep the traffic moving, and total closures are rare. So much better with the tunnel than without 👍

[@iandonkin6762]

I can’t believe how long it’s been open now! The centre of Hindhead used to be a nightmare to get through but now the A3 is a delight and the village so much better for it. Great video too - thanks for sharing!

[@Banditmanuk]

So nice to see this film placed on KZbin. In years to come, it will be a great historical documentation of the work done. Educational and entertaining.

[@chrisst8922]

I love the way it winds and goes up and down. You feel like you're floating. I always put my foot down.

[@Richard-fv7rq]

Drove the old route many many times during the 90's and the traffic was always bad. I remember a strange mix of antique shops at the traffic lights. Only seems like yesterday.

[@NOWThatsRichy]

I remember those old antique shops well, one on the southbound side always had a pair of large stone dogs sitting outside! Probably still there! There was always plenty of time for a bit of window shopping as you drove by at walking pace!!

[@rogerphelps9939]

This was built with no fuss and met the requirements. Why on Earth can't they do the same with the Stonehenge tunnel.

[@mitford603]

good video I remember as a kid when we went to the beach having to go through Handheld, one day they will do the tunnel under Guildford

[@charlesmoss8119]

Well I was on the motorbike nearest the camera behind the police escort as they opened it - my 2 seconds of fame I suspect 😂 and it was really great to see it done. It made a huge difference to the road system and turned one of my favourite walking places into a delight. Oddly it did leave the centre of hind head rather forlorn, a sudden backwater, but I’m sure over the years it’s become rather lovely as the punchbowl is so lovely.

[@johnlennox-pe2nq]

you brought tears to mine eyes, a bicycle trip would have been an example to the local green folk, u petrol heads should be banned; hot air balloon stations, canals, pack horse track ways, windmills, solar...should be enc and built - a wasted opportunity

[@charlesachurch7265]

Fascinating presentation thanks xxx

[@martyn6792]

Good film giving the history, solution and build

[@jakhaughton1800]

50 years to get rid of the disaster of the old A3 going through poor old Hindhead.

[@NOWThatsRichy]

Yes, the alternative route took many decades to conceive & materialise, I remember my dad talking about it in the 1970s! Many different ideas were discussed, including various types of bridge, by-passes, either to the north or south of the existing road, but due to the geography & location, these would have needed to been a very long route. Even now, if the tunnels have to be closed for maintenance or accidents, the diversion adds several miles to the journey.

[@borusa32]

I went for a bike ride in the Punchbowl in 2006 in January. It is a wonderful place . That traffic in the village added ages to any journey on the A3 and I remember it only too well. I think the tunnel was a good solution.

[@DingleDangle66]

What date specifically ? 😂

[@techauthor324]

l travelled on the A3 before the Hindhead tunnels and have driven through the tunnels many times. To all of the people involved in the construction please accept my grateful thanks. Also thanks for this video explaining some of what went into making these tunnels a success story.

[@P-Mouse]

a door-mouse license is a very British concept..

[@juleswombat5309]

Great Stuff. I have been travelling down the A3 for the last 40 years from SW London to Portsmouth. Its a much nicer, more streamlined drive now with only one roundabout to navigate now. Albeit I do miss the views around Devils Punch Bowl.

[@Handleyman]

It’s very pleasing to see that project like these can be done with sensitivity to the environment. It can be done if there is the will. Congratulations to all concerned!

[@buzzukfiftythree]

I very nearly lost my life on the old A3 at the Devil’s Punchbowl. On just about every occasion I took that route in Winter I experienced significant fog. On one occasion it was so dense that, at one frightening point I realised I was actually on the wrong side of the road. I steered back to the left hand side just a few seconds before a coach passed me in the opposite direction. The tunnel is fantastic and improves journey times. Guildford can still be a nightmare but overall the A3 is now a really good trunk route between London and Portsmouth etc.

[@johnough4893]

I marked you down for your bad English.

[@martinhow121]

Similar experience on Xmas eve 2027 when motorcycling home, a journey i did three times a week and nearly failed to make the sharp right hander near the top of the hill in the local cloud/fog bank that was a regular feature. The tunnel has removed the scenic part of the journey, from Hindhead cross roads to Thursley, bur also removed the huge danger.

[@mrsoikawa]

2027?@@martinhow121

[@cefnonn]

I think longer tunnels exist in the UK. I've driven through it and enjoyed how fresh and new it feels. I guess Hindhead residents are grateful for this. Unlike railway tunnels dig in the Victorian era, it seems there were no human casualties (or worse). Engineering has certainly come on since those days.

[@latheofheaven1017]

Geat video. I remember well the old Hindhead A3 route. At a time when all of the A3 from Portsmouth to the M25 and beyond was open dual-carriageway, the Devil's Punch Bowl section was a horrible little single-carriageway traffic jam with a single set of traffic lights in the middle of Hindhead. I would expect to take anywhere between 5 and 30 minutes there, but now the same section takes 2 minutes. I bet the people who live in the village are a lot happier now too.

[@richardsmithcreates]

Thanks for the comment - glad you iked the video.

[@greghill7759]

@20.10: The words "Built on time and under budget" are words that one very rarely hears these days. I wonder what Balfour Beatty were doing right?

[@johnamans899]

On time and under budget, didn’t once mention that this is the second most expensive piece of tarmac in the uk.

[@cowboydom]

@@johnamans899 yet still on time and under budget.

[@RussellJamesStevens]

I remember having to make this journey before the tunnel was completed, very scenic, but getting through Hindhead was a nightmare.

[@the.parks.of.no.return]

At one point in the 80s there was serious talk of building a huge bridge straight throught the NT area ( instead of a tunnel)

[@NOWThatsRichy]

I remember that being talked about too! In fact various alternative routes for the A3 had been discussed since the 1960s, including long bypasses to both the north & south of the Punchbowl. A few buildings to the south of the site had been compulsory purchased many years before, including a hotel & a roadside pub/cafe place, in case the land was needed for future schemes, they remained derelict for years!

[@richardsmithcreates]

There are a few shots of the 'before', with traffic congested on the A3, and maybe you're right, seeing the adjoining roads 'after' might indeed have been a good idea. I should have had you as my producer! Hopefully the evidence is there today in everyday life!!

[@northseawolf]

I mean when you see what tunnels exist in places like Norway, the Alps or China, you realise that nothing in the UK presents any particularly hard engineering problems. There should be tunnels under the pennines, stonehenge and the black down hills to create direct high capacity routes which here seem like manned missions to Mars in comparison where other parts of the world would be a fairly routine local job.

[@BobMuk08]

The tunnel is a vast improvement. The one thing I Wish they would do is educate drivers to maintain their speed... many seem to enter the tunnel and slow from say 60mph to about 45mph... & then accelerate again when they leave. Despite being adequately lit throughout its length many drivers also fail to put their headlights on. So signs at each end would be helpful as can be very difficult to see vehicles in front or behind if they don't have them on. This also applies to motorcycles!

[@bytesabre]

And they do this despite there being brightly lit speed limit signs every, idk 3 Millimeters or so down the entire length of the tunnel to remind people you can go 70 down it most of the time

[@batman51]

As a child I always wondered why they had put traffic lights half way along a fast road to the seaside. And ones that seemed permanently at red.

[@Assimilator1]

Fascinating! And I was surprised by how soft that sandstone was, really it was still sand! lol. About the tech, good to know, although it makes you wonder why on occasions some of the signs don't update after the obstacle has gone, and on one occasion I'm not talking about hours, but days! (and it wasn't just one sign, perhaps 'windows' had crashed!? lol).

[@NOWThatsRichy]

That whole area around The Hampshire/ Surrey border has very sandy subsoil, nearby Frensham Pond is a great example of an 'inland' beach. Many millions of years ago that whole area would have under the sea!

[@Assimilator1]

@NOWThatsRichy ah yea, good point, yea Frensham ponds have nice beaches!🙂

[@HYUKLDER1]

At 1.2 miles, the Hindhead Tunnel is shorter than the Queensway Tunnel built in 1934 at 2.01 miles long. Hindhead Tunnel is under land and Queensway Tunnel is both under land and 0.99 of a mile of it under the River Mersey.

[@bfcmik]

Which is why they say the longest tunnel under land.

[@joechamberlain7441]

One odd feature of the tunnel is that they completely removed the original road. So when the tunnel is closed for repairs (which happens quite often) the old road is not available - and the only alternative is a massive diversion.

[@richardruff8712]

Yes, it would always be nice, if they could have kept the " old road " available. But that would have required the local Council, or some Government Agency, to spend a few millions, to keep the old road in a perfectly usable state... As we all know, they simply cannot justify allocating those funds, for the OCCASIONAL time it might be required... So, sit back and enjoy the diversion !

[@NOWThatsRichy]

@@richardruff8712 That was mentioned quite a bit at the time, about maybe just keeping one lane of the old road for emergency use. They completely closed it within less than a week after the tunnel was opened!

[@richardruff8712]

@@NOWThatsRichy Fairly sure that financial constraints would have controlled ALL decision making... i.e. why keep it open for a week longer than necessary ?

[@db1418]

Been through the old layout many times.

[@HE-pu3nt]

Thank you for posting this video. I love this type of Infastructure film, (not sure what that says about me😁) so thank you Mr Smith.

[@englishbob5106]

Why no before and after video of the town centre ?

[@grahamjesson5464]

Well needed, well conceived, well executed, well i never!, well done! I would bet that when you factor in waste, compulsory property purchase and disruption, that was probably a more economic solution, as opposed to a conventional bypass.

[@jolyonrussell7021]

Great video BUT a follow up on the instant change in the village would be intensly interesting

[@petter5721]

Greetings from Sweden 😀

[@fredericksaxton3991]

Quote:- "For decades, the main road from London to Southampton wound around and over the North Downs - at a point known as the Devil's Punchbowl - and through the tiny village of Hindhead. It was always a traffic bottleneck". Erm, No, This is the London to *Portsmouth* main arterial road. Southampton is miles away from Portsmouth. Oh, I know I am being picky, but it is not under the Devils Punchbowl, it is alongside the shape.

[@petergroves9343]

It's the first thing I noticed, glad you commented, saved me doing it too 👍

[@WayneTulip-zm9gw]

Some people think that the solid white line in the middle of the road in some tunnels doesn’t have any legal meaning because it’s not mentioned in the Highway Code but it has the same meaning as double white lines where the line closest to you is solid, you can only cross the line to pass a stationary vehicle blocking the lane or to overtake a cyclist, horse or road maintenance vehicle travelling at 10mph or less, some tunnels have a sign just before you enter saying keep in lane which is what I’d do.

[@SillyMoustache]

I remember the first time I drove through the tunnel, my car sat nav told me that I was on the wrong road, and also not on a road!

[@TheByard]

I worked in Mott's tunnel division for 15 years, joining when it was Mott Hay and Anderson it then changed to Mott MacDonald after acquiring that company. The Hindhead tunnel was always being spoken about and being a Senior Inspector of Works, I was always wondering when I would get the phone call to relocate there. Instead, I had to suffer world travel instead. Well done the team on what looked like a very interesting project.

[@TheGweems]

Very well designed Very safe Very considerate Very ecological Very very expensive.

[@johnlennox-pe2nq]

It is an advert for our multi billion dollar OPEC - you oil addicted gas heads, foolish sheepo; the puppet masters of the world control you. Cycle and jog, wheel-chair, yes even skate using solar... and canal boat it; chemicals from the car tyres alone flooding the waterways has killed our eco-world - stop it now

[@Stubear22374]

Great tunnel drive it most days to Portsmouth

[@23hublock1]

It is a fantastic tunnel. As a regular motorist through it, I find the LED signs mounted up high are too small.

[@EDcase1]

The way projects should be done 👍

[@davidfalconer8913]

And it takes about 17 minutes to walk through ! ! as we did prior to its opening ( £5 cost for the bus ! ) ... the use of stainless steel fittings was a good idea for almost zero future maintenance , also the tiny part remaining of the old A3 makes an excellent car park for the National Trust visitors ...... DAVE™🛑

[@wilsjane]

Grade 600 stainless steel, which is dull and requires a finish, has become a revolution in street furniture, due to its non corrosion properties and considerably lower cost than full stainless. However, electrolytic corrosion of any other steel that it joins onto has largely ruled it out for bridges. It became a major problem for ambulances, when the chassis bodies underneath started rotting and falling apart after a few years.

[@David-od2fw]

Mac anybody digs a tunnel better than digging into a Mac Donald's feast

[@6panel300]

The Hinhead tunnel(s) is a great project well worth doing both for the local area and for commuters. It is actually the London to Portsmouth road not London to Southampton as the video description says, which is actually the M3. The plus points are: Better local traffic and wellbeing for the residents. Better local environment conditions. No tolls. Much faster commute times. Much safer roads. The negatives are : When they close a tunnel they don't introduce a contraflow utilising the other tunnel into a 2 way, Instead they divert traffic around the area with no set route causing mayhem. The entry slipway just before the northbound entrance is to short and also poor vision for drivers joining the A3. All that needs sorting now is bypassing Guildford and getting rid of the stupid nonsensicle roundabout near Liss.

[@cjmillsnun]

I've been through a contraflow in the tunnel. It's difficult for a short notice closure, but for planned works they do tend to do that. Bypassing Guildford is next to impossible unfortunately, although a simple flyover and sliproads to the roundabout could deal with Ham Barn. It would also improve life for people in Greatham.

[@richardsmithcreates]

You're right and my description (written long after I made the film) was carelessly wrong. It's been corrected. Thanks for pointing it out.

[@MartinBirch-w6b]

I live in Hindhead and use the tunnel at night when I was in security but spent most of the time on the back road because the tunnel was closed for work a dam pain when you had to get to shout with in 1 hour still like to use it

[@k13ehr]

Why not use a TBM? and I also wonder what the impact will be on the towns shops, will it become another ghost town?

[@cowboydom]

Given the tunnel opened over 10 years ago, I'm sure the results on the town shops is now clear.

[@piggypiggypig1746]

I would like to have seen the effects on the village after it's construction.

[@wilsjane]

Often businesses suffer, due to the lack of passing trade. But since in the past parking was such a problem, I think the affect will be minimal. In Ireland, when the new N roads opened it was a different story, with hotels suffering and both garages and filling stations closing down, leaving abandoned buildings and boarded up shops in the worst affected towns. However, I think that a decade from now, no one would want to return to the old ways.

[@nigelkthomas9501]

Is walking or cycling through this tunnel allowed? I’m hoping to pay it a visit during the summer.

[@Sgt_Bill_T_Co]

No, even mopeds horses etc are banned, it's purely for motorised transport. check the sign at www.google.com/maps/@51.0949932,-0.7619189,3a,24.2y,351.74h,89.9t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFNRafr1FfAnZzK6ejfpnZQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

[@winniewotsit4452]

No, far too busy. The traffic speeds through there now. There's little to see within the tunnel anyway, far better to walk over it. The devils punch bowl is very scenic as is the surrounding area. It is part of the Greensands Way that I think actually starts in Haslemere. On the hillside, overlooking the punch bowl, is an 18th century memorial stone for a murdered sailor. There used to be a viewing area, overlooking the North portal, that was a modest walk from the cafe car park. I imagine that it will still be there. We would sometimes go there to see the construction progress. They did a great job with much less inconvenience during construction than I had expected.

[@wilsjane]

@@winniewotsit4452 Using good reliable contractors may have cost slightly more, but being finished on time with no budget overruns, it was probably cheaper in the long run. Misleading costs and timescales, have almost been accepted as a way of life in the UK.

[@1967RTMOPAR]

Have driven through there a few times, always thought they used TBM's to cut the tunnel. I now know otherwise.

[@mrsoikawa]

why does it say Southampton in the description??

[@richardsmithcreates]

You're right and my description (written long after I made the film) was carelessly wrong. It's been corrected. Thanks for pointing it out.

[@mrsoikawa]

no worries, and the film was great, it was just such a bizarre error. Confusing Portsmouth and Southampton wouldn't mean much to someone from New York but if you're from the South East it would be as weird as telling someone you live in Guildford when in fact you live in Winchester.@@richardsmithcreates

[@simonjackson7269]

I travel though the tunnels on most days to make fish deliveries to Hindhead House care home

[@keithygadget381]

Always reminds me of the Telly Tubby’s house

[@LeverGating]

How fantastic to see money being so wisely spent on new roads rather than being wasted on the "Giant White Elephant Railway Project" (HS2 - AKA High Spend Two).

[@colinlambert882]

Sounds wonderful but....the planners ignored resilience. It's closed far too often for servicing from the ridiculously early time of 8 pm. There is an appalling diversion of about 26 miles when it is closed, Why is there no single tunnel contraflow working option to avoid this ridiculous diversion when either the North or southbound tunnels are closed? What is so delightful is that you will spend most of that time behind the first HGV you encounter.

[@cowboydom]

The diversion you are referring to is one that is able to accomodate all types of vehicles, you don't have to follow that one unless you are driving an HGV. The majority of the closures do have contraflow in place, and the closures do not start at 8pm. Sometimes it is necessary to have both bores closed at the same time, just like other roads are occasionally closed in both directions

[@andyboofon]

Anyone who lives nearby knows how long it took to complete 🤷‍♂️

[@mancheetah5610]

Can someone please tell all motorists that it is a national highway speed limit (70), unless otherwise stated.

[@thomaswhite4344]

The poor Challenge Week trips out will be sadly missed that we’ll never see them again because it was eventually time for them to retire because it was too expensive it was cheaper to do a few trips out RIP😭😢😥🥺😿

[@benclarkson4205]

I never drove the old A3… but from reading all these comments… I’m getting terrible commuting anxiety from them… 😰😰😰

[@rayf7108]

Love this so how do you deal with e cars catching on fire water won't help and won't the heat melt through the road

[@NOWThatsRichy]

Or even worse, if one of those electric buses catches fire inside the tunnel, it could happen one day!

[@cowboydom]

Presumably they are dealt with the same way the fire brigade deal with all other electric cars that catch fire ?

[@michelguevara151]

allways loved the devil's punchbowl, ever since going camping there with my school in the '70s got attacked by an adder once, luckily I was wearing kriegsmarine boots!

[@dominiclester3232]

Overall it’s a resounding success, well done! One poor decision, I’d say, was to not keep the old A3 available for emergencies only, for when ambulances find both lanes of a tunnel closed... Obviously a very rare occurrence, but the large diversion required will inevitably cost the occasional life!

[@sergiudragos375]

👏👏👏

[@borisboris8702]

Only reason its a tunnel is because of the huge protests when the M3 was rerouted/widened at Winchester, Otherwise the A3 would be in a cutting as at Winchester

[@rogersmith5167]

And it saved the golf course where the old money spent their Sundays

[@philipjones9458]

Queensway tunnel still being paid for.

[@Keepingitrespectfulmostly.]

18:18 Hello there. Response to video only.

[@kieronmarshall2658]

shame the old road got put to heathland it was a nice view as i drove along it.

[@bearsey26]

With the gains in technology from the Channel Tunnel and engineering operations like this done with great success, I often wonder why HS2 wasn’t designed in the same manor instead of compulsory purchasing houses and villages and destroying the countryside? Basically putting HS2 underground and a Japanese type railway transport for high speed links never to be held up by poor weather and leaves on the line! Yes, a massive project but we have some of the best engineers and technology to achieve this, could be the 8th wonder of the world! That, think would make most tax payers extremely proud and a very worthwhile project upsetting less people, societies and countryside, IMO.

[@martinhow121]

Mosty its cost. Generally a bridge or cutting is very much cheaper than tunnelling.

[@bearsey26]

@@martinhow121 I would agree, but looking how much money has been wasted so far on HS2, I sometimes wonder if tunnelling HS2 would’ve been a solution had it been thought of before all the shenanigans started, bit too late now as so much project money has been spent on nothing...

[@wilsjane]

@@bearsey26 I wonder if noise will become a major problem, as it was with sections of the M25. However trains will not be passing continuously 24/7.

[@srpacific]

Dormouse license…and now we know why HS2 has been so slow and expensive. You have to pay a bunch of people to go and check every leaf before you can even break ground. Then they dig up a swathe of land 10x wider than they even need!

[@hiscifi2986]

So it needs two control rooms and a permanent staff, just for two miles of road...? We have a 10 mile By-Pass around a town, and that doesn't need constant supervision.

[@peterrenn6341]

Any kind of accident (and there have been several already) let alone one involving vehicle fires is obviously way more dangerous in a tunnel. I'm glad there are human beings constantly supervising.

[@cowboydom]

Perhaps research how other mile+ long tunnels operate both in the UK and abroad

[@ManxAndy]

The only thing that stands out for me from this video….is , how many people are involved, that are not actually building the tunnel….I mean, come on , , Community Relations Manager…….how much is he on .? 👍👌😉😔

[@JohnWalshLegend]

Muppet at 0:55

[@dave07drummer]

great job by the workers, big big shame the companies with the contracts are absolute con artists and tax dodgers in their higher echelons. if you work for one of these PLC's start a trade union in the workplace if you havent already. Solidarity.

[@ZeldaFitz]

Them children will be in their mid 20s now

[@mu8554]

You're gonna find yourself getting to work a lot earlier, GREAT!!

[@peterrenn6341]

But you get home quicker 🙂

[@caroleast9636]

The tunnels aren’t under the Devil’s Punchbowl

[@sergeant5848]

I bet the safety systems weren't tested with an EV in thermal-runaway.

[@storm_shadow78]

2008 till 2010 Labour investing in Britain's future I miss having a government that invests and doesn't just steal!

[@richardchadwick4028]

No mention of cost and environmental destruction, unlike HS2

[@Mike-tv9rk]

I've walked through the devil's punchbowl and it was definitely up north.

[@susanchadwick7240]

That would be the Hole of Horcum

[@dgattenb]

the old road is still there.. around the punchbowl,, just falling apart and being taken back to nature ... looks a bit of a mess...

[@caroleast9636]

The old road isn’t falling apart. It has been deliberately taken up. It’s no longer available to motorists.

[@jmshrrsn]

A bit too cuddly for my liking. Surely there were protests and deep concern by local residents. Moving wildlife and building underpasses etc for ramblers is clearly necessary to go some way towards mitigating the destruction, but I can’t believe everyone was happy with this so-called improvement. I understand the tunnel since it was opened, has been subject to several closures despite initial claims that only minor closures would be required for improvements. In 2014 for example there were eight overnight closures of the tunnel for maintenance works! Still, it’s a very interesting film, seeing what goes into such a civil engineering project, just a shame it wasn’t more honest about the true impact on the environment and the associated ecosystem. One day the tunnel will be redundant and we’ll be asking if it really was worth it environmentally.

[@herseem]

Yes, because the amount of fumes that must have been pumped into the atmosphere from people queueing to get through the lights at Hindhead must have been far greater than they emit going through the tunnel

[@NOWThatsRichy]

The bit that made me laugh was when they said about having to apply for a dormouse licence! Then building dormouse bridges! I'm sure the little critters would have found alternative routes by themselves!

[@herseem]

@@NOWThatsRichy not necessarily, there might have been a horrendous mortality rate if there was no route by the way in which they normally travelled

[@cowboydom]

Short sighted and illogical comment. It's had a tremendous improvement on the the local environment - the exact opposite to what you suggest. You clearly haven't understood what the pollution levels were like when the several miles of standstill traffic sat in Hindhead throughtout the day and night prior to the tunnel. As for 8 whole closures of the tunnel - why not focus on it being open for 357 days instead ?

[@BLX187]

Ill rather take the m3. thanks

[@AK.2425]

Lot less traffic than M3 also more direct route to Portsmouth/Havant/ Chichester from London or Surrey

[@johnlennox-pe2nq]

No lavatories for the disabled and non binary, no prayer rooms and mats for Islamic worshipers, no ice cream parlour ... nor even a picnic area -- poor job

[@sparkiegaz3613]

Run on generators for years due to the poor electrical design….😂😂😂😂😂

[@theaylesburycyclist8756]

This is bullshit. I drove through this tonnil 2 years ago !!!

[@cowboydom]

eh ?

[@yp77738yp77739]

Wonder how many brown envelopes from the contractor were needed to grease the palms of the decision makers. Always suspicious when the most expensive and complex solutions are used instead of simple ones. I remember cycling through here as a boy, before any tunnels on on my way down to see my grandparents in Portsmouth. I don’t recall traffic being a big problem then.

[@cowboydom]

Did you not watch the first 90 seconds ? What was your simple solution, and how much research and statistics do you have to back up your claim of a "simpler" solution. Clearly you cycled through Hindhead in a different lifetime to all those that commuted through it , and lived by it in the years runing up to the tunnel being built.

[@yp77738yp77739]

@@cowboydom It was about 40 years ago. But in all these situations it is normally feasible and more economical to put in a bypass. The real solution which the British seems unable to grasp is that the same monies invested into a highly effective public transport system would eliminate the problem altogether. In the last decade I spent most of my time working in Switzerland, although there was a superb road network, it was nearly empty, everybody used trams and trains with the occasional bus. Get kids to walk to school and you remove about 30% of peak traffic in one shot. It is very simple if we were smart enough and not so lazy to do it.

[@cowboydom]

@@yp77738yp77739 I'm not trying to be deliberately argumentative, but you're hardly comparing like for like - you make it sound simple, yet Switzerland is roughly six times smaller than Britain, and only has c.9 million residents. I'd imagine its much easier for kids to walk to school, and public transport is popular. But lets not forget Switzerland has over 1000 tunnels for those 9 million people ! Yes appreciate the topography is considerably different but it highlights exactly why a tunnel was built at Hindhead and not as you would suggest "same monies invested" to do otherwise. It's not very simple at all, and certainly nothing to do with laziness.

[@yp77738yp77739]

@@cowboydom It is simply laziness, I used to cycle 5 miles to school, summer and winter. The Swiss schools mandate that the kids have to walk, starting from primary, they walk without mum and dad in human trains, it’s a fabulously smart thing to do. My sisters kids can’t be bothered to walk 300 yds, mum or dad drives the podgy things there. Strange that the Swiss kids don’t have the same issues of childhood obesity that the Anglo Saxons do!

[@cowboydom]

@@yp77738yp77739 Now you're just sounding ridiculous and completely out of touch, which validates my disagreeing with your reasoning for not building a tunnel at Hindhead.

[@artisancans3954]

"BULLSHIT!"

[@ashleymcmurray5060]

hey calm down dude

[@Yourtruthmightnotbemine]

So if they could reinforce the sandstone like that why are they not doing that around the country in places of coastal erosion?