Tunnel to reopen on weekend nights as work continues

The tunnel's current lighting dates back to the 1970s

The Queensway tunnel on Merseyside is to reopen at night on Fridays and Saturdays.

The tunnel, which links Liverpool and Birkenhead, has faced night-time closures since June 2023 while a £11m lighting upgrade began.

After recently celebrating its 90th anniversary, it will now reopen throughout the night during Friday and Saturday from 26 July.

From Sunday to Thursday, closures will remain in place each night between 21:00 BST and 6:30 BST while the upgrade continues.

'Reduce costs'

The tunnel is having its existing lighting replaced with a more energy efficient LED system, which Liverpool City Council said will have a lifespan of 25 years.

A timeframe for completion was not specified when the upgrade was announced last year, but the council said the decision to reopen at weekend night-times was made earlier than planned due to the progress made.

The work will replace the current 1970s light fittings with more than 1,028 new LED lights.

The council said it would reduce carbon emissions and electricity costs without any reduction in lighting quality.

Councillor Steve Foulkes, chairman of the Liverpool City Region combined authority transport committee said he wanted to thank tunnel users for their "patience and understanding".

The work will bring the tunnel up to the same standards as the neighbouring Kingsway Tunnel, which connects Liverpool to Wallasey, which underwent a similar upgrade in 2018.