Thursday 24th June 1971

The Kingsway (Wallasey) Tunnel under the River Mersey between Liverpool and Wallasey was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II. The 1.5 mi (2.4 km) tunnel which carries the A59, was built because the Queensway Tunnel – which was built in the 1930s to carry vehicles between Birkenhead and Liverpool – was unable to cope with the rise in post-war traffic. Kingsway comprises identical twin tubes. Each has two 3.7 m (12 ft) wide lanes. They carry on average 45,000 vehicles a day (almost 16.4million per year). A single car journey through the tunnel currently costs £3.40 (2016).Manned and automatic tollbooths are located on the Wallasey side. Of the two tunnels crossing the River Mersey, Kingsway is the only tunnel able to take HGVs. In a study following the fire in the Mont Blanc Tunnel in 1999, inspectors from the European Union rated the Kingsway Tunnel as “good”, one of only eight to receive that rating in Europe.