Lane Cove Tunnel 2.83

The Lane Cove Tunnel is a A$1.1 billion, 3.6 km twin-tunnel tollway in Sydney, Australia, which connects the M2 Motorway at North Ryde with the Gore Hill Freeway at Artarmon. It is owned by toll road operator Transurban and forms part of the M2 and the 110 km Sydney Orbital Network.In 2016 tolls for the Lane Cove Tunnel were $3.17 for passenger vehicles and $8.11 for heavy vehicles, and are adjusted in line with movements in the consumer price index.HistoryConnector Motorways, which was the owner and manager of the tunnel, as well as the associated Falcon Street Gateway, awarded a $1.1 billion contract to design and construct the tunnel to a joint venture between Thiess and the John Holland Group. It was intended to replace the few kilometres motorists had to drive along Epping Road, through the suburb of Lane Cove, between two sections of freeway.During construction, in the early hours of 2 November 2005, the roof of a ventilation tunnel for the project collapsed. The collapse caused a 10 by 10 metre crater to appear near the southbound exit ramp of the Pacific Highway. It also damaged a three-storey building at 11–13 Longueville Road, forcing the evacuation of 47 people. Emergency crews pumped 1000 cubic metres of concrete into the hole to try to stop the housing block from collapsing into it. An investigation by Workcover NSW found that the collapse was caused by geological conditions at the site, the large span width of the tunnel, and inadequacy of roof support. The proximity of the excavations to the surface resulted in the property damage.