Apologies if this has been done. Had a quick search but couldn’t see that this has been previously raised.

Petition to renovate tunnel to allow access (greenway) rather than shut it permanently, with an aspiration to use it in a “strategic” link.

To me, the proponents have got it all wrong – no mention of “key pivots”, “northern powerhouses” or “paradigm shifts in journey times”. 😀

Anyway. I like going to the Shay, I used to go to the Fighting Cock & New Beehive and a bikey thing with a mahoosive tunnel linking the lot sounds charming.

If you’re interested:
Here.
…and if your still keen:
Here.

Signed…. Would be great to see it renovated.

Unfortunately I know a fair bit about that tunnel. It’s been flooded for a long long time and the cost to keep it in one piece has been a bit mental. It wouldn’t be a great use of the huge amount of money it would need to basically turn it into a bridleway.

Is that about ongoing maintenance costs? Anything to add from a knowledgeable perspective on the campaigners’ numbers? (that it will cost £3M to abandon it and only £2.8M to restore to useable?)

I don’t know much of the detail about this, but the figures seem to suggest that a cycleway is cheaper than filling it in?

Seems to be a no brainer – but then unless you are close you wont know about the drainage etc alluded to above

I don’t understand how it could be cheaper to make something of it than cap off (or whatever the alternative plan is?)

Us ‘Mericans spent $12M on this one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Savage_Tunnel

http://gannettfleming.com/Projects/2015/02/27/15/43/big-savage-mountain-tunnel-restoration

As Rob said, whilst it’s a nice idea, surely there are better ways of spending the money? It’s been flooded and blocked up now for decades, why do we suddenly need a tunnel for walking and biking through now? It’s not even as if it’s in a sensible place – both tunnel portals are in the middle of nowhere so saying it goes from Halifax to Queensbury is a little misleading. Want to reopen a tunnel? Open the one from Sowerby Bridge to Triangle as part if the Ryburn Freeway project. At least that’d open up a great commuter route for people in that valley to get to Sowerby Bridge station as well as opening up a little valley that contains some great riding with train access.

As part of my job I was asked about the water flooding the southern end. It can’t be pumped into the surface water without some treatment or it has to go to foul sewer. Yeah I know its rainwater but it has generally come through the tunnel so isn’t as clean as you’d think.

Its also 12m deep – see here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-26238939

Personally think £3m would be used up to sort out the flooding issue alone…

A lot of the press about making it into a cycleway shows pictures at the north end which looks a lot nicer, and I could believe £3m might do it if all i saw was that end. However the south end deposits you straight into a manky industrial area.

I do want it converted into a path, and I know railway enthusiasts would like that too as its a pretty amazing tunnel, but the odds are against it – if it was between 2 nicer places it would stand a better chance – not nice to say but it doesn’t help matters!

Here’s hoping…

Have they taken the ongoing costs of keeping the water levels down into account?

Obviously I’d much prefer to have 3m spent on keeping something open vs closing it down, but if it’s going to saddle the local authority with significant year on year costs, it isn’t going to work.

Compared with the tunnels over at Chee Dale, which are in a attractive tourist hotspot, I’d be surprised if it attracted a decent level of leisure cycling.

“However the south end deposits you straight into a manky industrial area.”

Oi, that’s Holmfield you cheeky beggar!!

It’d be handy for taking kids out on bikes, but there are better “cycling” routes from Holmfield to Thornton anyway.