Bid for £23m made to government for Queensbury tunnel project

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT could be key in creating a cycleway in the old Queensbury Tunnel – a project described as a “significant opportunity” for the area.

In addition to the huge package of transport projects that make up the Transforming Cities Fund, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s submission also includes an additional request for £23 million to turn the tunnel into a “high quality cycling route” linking Calderdale and Bradford.

The former 1.4 mile long rail tunnel has been disused for decades, but in recent years there has been a campaign to have it re-opened as a specialist cycle and walking route.

A bid for Department For Transport funding for the tunnel has been submitted alongside the maid bid, and a decision would be made by the government separately.

The bid to the government says: “A repurposed Queensbury Tunnel would form a new cycling and walking route, which would preserve this historic asset for future generations. The opportunity to deliver the scheme is finely balanced; without certainty over funding being available to carry out further development work and deliver the scheme, measures to ensure public safety may progress to the point where the opportunity is lost.

“If funded, the Queensbury Tunnel would form a key link and a major opportunity to create a new route for walking and cycling linking west Bradford with north Halifax, providing a travel option for some of the 14,000 people.”