The Tunnel

The tunnel itself will be 20.9km/13M in length. Whilst this appears to be very long and theoretically expensive, tunnels are bored on an economy of scale. The main expense is the setting up of equipment and start-up costs. Once that has been achieved a price pro rata per km is lessened as the length increases.

It will be one tunnel that will be 16m in internal diameter. It is envisaged that this will comprise a single line of vehicular traffic in each direction, one standard gauge railway track, and a Service Lane that grants emergency access to the Rails above and the vehicular lanes to the side, which will be accessed through secure doors.

The tunnel will also be able to facilitate any communication or fluid transport through voids that are not used by the transport system or air ventilation systems. Any upgrades in technology should be able to reach the Island easily through physical means.

The extracted earth and spoil will be used to reclaim land in front of Solent Way at the entrance to Southampton Water. This area of mud at present, dries to 1.2m above lowest astronomical Tide (or chart Datum). This re-claimed land, once settled behind shuttered hoardings will form a new Marina complex in between Hook Lake and Bromwich Pond or further (depending on volume) to serve the Solent. The distance between the Mainland Portal and this area is 4.2km, which is easy and close for delivery of spoil.

There is also a possibility to develop a land reclamation Marina with the spoil on the Island side near Shanklin, at the bottom of Hope Road. There are many other projects that could be envisaged that will require land fill and these projects could be undertaken at this time to make them more economical.