Ramsgate’s Royal Harbour Approach tunnel remains shut for emergency works

The Ramsgate Harbour Approach Road tunnel. Image Nick Smith 

Ramsgate’s Royal Harbour Approach tunnel which goes to the artificial beach and port will remain closed up until April 21 for works to be carried out.

The tunnel has been shut since April 6 to enable fire hose pump repairs to be carried out by Kent County Council.

The closure means traffic, including trucks going to and from the port and Brett Aggregates at Berth 4 have to travel down Paragon Promenade and Royal Parade and along Military Road which is occupied by numerous businesses including bars and restaurants.

Disgruntled café customer Nick Jones tweeted: “Thanks @KentHighways , it’s so lovely having a peaceful coffee with lorry’s chugging out fumes.”

The 760 metre tunnel first opened  in June 2000.

 

18 Comments

  1. How can a tunnel costing 760 million and is hardly used need so much maintenance ? Its closed at least once a month and now for nearly a whole month.

    If the port was to reopen how would this tunnel cope with the increase traffic. It cant cope with the odd Brett’s truck !

    This must be a nightmare for the business by the harbour

  2. Trucks going to the port ? There is no port, it’s only used by Brett’s. I do hope the owners of the cafe shops get compensation, or maybe move their outside tables to enable people to use it as a highway, which was what is was for many years. I also wonder if these people objected to the tunnel being constructed in the first place. Think back people.

    • Perhaps the people who took part in the consultation 25 years ago were never warned that the tunnel would be an extremely high maintenance one that was totally unfit for purpose?

  3. The tunnel was built because counsellors and Freemasons who lived on the London Road kept moaning about the HGVs going to the Sally line at the port, I lost my allotment because it was where the tunnel was to be built. Now it closes at least once a month for absolutely no reason we are being told lies.

    • Wow that’s a new one. I can understand some councillors objecting if they were KCC Councillors because presumably there was a vote. i.e either let all traffic keep using the existing route or take the traffic out of the town. Freemasons would that be the male or lady freemasons. ? how did they get to vote on the tunnel when it was a KCC highways decision not a TDC or residents decision.

    • You can get another allotment. It wasn’t built along via the sea route because of the ” nature reserves” but the houses were compulsory purchased at pegwell. They housed the workers for the tunnel, and then the council privately sold them at enormous profits. If you remember correctly. Also, it’s nice to know that councillors and freemasons live in London Road. How many exactly??

    • “Now it closes at least once a month for absolutely no reason we are being told lies.”

      Have you actually tried contacting the team responsible for monitoring the tunnel in the building up the road from it? Not everythings a big conspiracy, pal.

  4. 1995 Jonathan Aitken MP before he fell on his sword of truth.
    “Environmentally speaking, the residents who live on or near the juggernaut route to Ramsgate have, in recent years, been dwelling in a veritable Dante’s inferno of noise, pollution, disruption and danger. I feel particularly for those who live in the 250 homes along the route, 107 of which are listed buildings. I also feel concern for the pupils in the two schools on the route. They and many others are crying out for the relief which they deserve and which they will get if the Ramsgate harbour access road gets the go-ahead.”
    The Hansard link:- https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1995-10-18/debates/eb62d502-ea7f-4a96-a78a-4540e35e7376/RamsgateHarbourAccessRoad

    And how things fail:-
    “Port Ramsgate, which is the outer harbour of the town, is a great success story. It is Britain’s second biggest cross-channel port, and handles approximately 3.5 million passengers a year, plus more than 450,000 cars and 250,000 freight lorries. Moreover, the new parent company of Port Ramsgate, Holyman-Sally Ferries Ltd., is expanding fast.

    On Monday, the port will see the arrival of the first of two brand new £24 million high-tech catamaran fast ferries. They will be a great boost to the port of Ramsgate, because, next year, they will operate on the Ramsgate-Ostend route, with up to 16 extra sailings a day. The company forecasts that the new service will attract to Port Ramsgate an additional 1.5 million passengers, an additional 300,000 cars and an additional 140,000 freight lorries over and above the very substantial annual traffic figures that I quoted a moment ago.

    Port Ramsgate is growing, expanding and flourishing, and it is a success story in today’s competitive cross-channel marketplace. The unfortunate recent fire in the channel tunnel reminds us that that marketplace must be strong, competitive and diversified. But the Port Ramsgate success story is being held back by one constraint: the lack of a proper port access road.
    https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/1996-12-04/debates/34a7a74e-0798-4dc2-8ea7-9c185d1a322c/KentCapitalChallenge

    • Ex tory mp mention, noise, pollution etc as not being excitable

      Present tory mp welcomes noise, pollution etc from an airport ! And thinks it is excitable

      Torys why vote for them ?

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