I know its late but I'm sure you'll all be interested to read this. I mean the roundabout at Westgate could cope with this couldn' it
Revolutionary tunnel plan to banish traffic congestion A THREE-mile toll tunnel between Padiham Bridge and Westgate, Burnley, is to be built at a cost of £300m.
The adventurous scheme, which will carry a four-lane highway and use the latest laser boring technology, is the brainchild of Lancashire County Council to end traffic chaos around the Gannow slip roads to the M65 and along Burnley Road, Padiham.
The tunnel, which is to be called Fool's Way, will be linked to a massive underground car park to the outskirts of town which will accommodate 2,000 cars and have a free bus link into the town centre.
And a services area with shops, bars, cafes and toilets could be sited next to historic Gawthorpe Hall.
The outline scheme has already been approved as part of the Government's strategic traffic programme for the next five years and will be funded through the Roads Improvement Priority Orders Finance Fund (RIPOFF).
When the scheme is complete Ð and the target date is April 1, 2009 Ð drivers are likely to pay tolls from £5 to £15, depending on the size of vehicles.
The money will go towards repaying loans on the project from the EU, the Government and the Strategic Haulage Urgent Transport International Trust (SHUTIT).
Further finance is expected to come from United Providence Youth Opportunities in Unskilled Redeployment Services (UPYOURS), which sees the scheme as an ideal opportunity to provide construction jobs for the young unemployed.
There could be extra cash from the Office of Operational Passenger Services (OOPS) because of the link to the station.
Buses will be banned from the tunnel and will follow the present routes.
The entrance and exit at the Padiham end will mean the diversion of the River Calder in a 100-yard loop to Green Brook.
Then boring will start into the river bed and a tunnel with a circumference of more than 150ft. will be carved out of the earth, using advanced laser systems.
The route will largely follow the line of the Calder before emerging at the centre of Westgate roundabout.
Work on the exit and entrance there is expected to cause huge traffic delays for almost a year and drivers will be advised to use alternative routes.
A new link road to Burnley Central Station will be funded through the Railways Advanced Transport Scheme (RATS).
The massive underground car park is seen as a definitive answer to Burnley's parking problem and the free bus link will enable the whole of the town centre from Westgate to the canal at Bank Hall to be pedestrianised.
A County Hall spokesman, Mrs April Loof, said: "This is a massive and far-reaching plan which will have a huge impact on the area.
"In many ways it is a blueprint for solving traffic problems of this sort all over Europe and the eyes of the Continent will be on Burnley and Padiham around April 1, 2009."
Burnley Council remained tight-lipped today about the impact of the county's plan.
A spokesman said: "We have looked at the plans in detail but there is little comment we can make because the matter involves only the Government and the county council."