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Protest as £10 million tunnel reopens
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The Dudley Ward tunnel was reopened yesterday after a ceremony led by the chief minister Peter Caruana.
The tunnel had been sealed off after a fatal accident 8 years ago, with requests for its early reopening going unheeded.
Works have cost in excess of £10 million. A reinforced concrete canopy leads into the tunnel, to ward off any future rock falls. Other ancillary works have also taken place, such as new lighting, road improvement and landscaping.
It has been officially described as a major civil engineering works.
The tunnel will operate for two-way traffic. This means that carparking used by residents of Both Worlds has been discontinued, and some 20 parking spaces have been made available nearby for residents.
However, residents were unhappy with the situation and lined the road leading to the tunnel to lodge a protest.
They were demonstrating at the condition of the Sandy Bay beach 'and also the high handed removal of the roadside parking without any notice or prior consultation thereby causing extreme difficulty to all concerned.'
The opening of the Dudley Ward Tunnel may be a great improvement to the congested traffic in Gibraltar. However, no consideration has been given to the residents of Both Worlds, who now find themselves with not enough parking bays to cover their requirements, said a protestor. Elderly people will be the worst affected.
'Clearly, there is obviously no Government strategy to bring back Sandy Bay to any acceptable level of use, since no one will be able to park nearby. Maybe the Government expects all to forget there was ever a beach there!' it was said.
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