Upgrades to the power supply have been first on the project agenda for the Homer Tunnel. PHOTO: NZ TRANSPORT AGENCY
In July, the Government announced the funding for the project to improve the safety and resilience of the tunnel, which opened in 1953.
The agency’s Milford Road Alliance started by implementing $3million of smaller safety improvements following the recommendations of an investigation into a car fire in the tunnel at the beginning of this year.
Work completed included an upgraded power system and lighting, and fitting new speakers in the tunnel for communication in emergencies.
A new protected duct was also being built along the full 1.2km length of the tunnel to protect cabling, fibre and other systems during a fire, agency system manager Graeme Hall said.
Over the next year, an extra lane would be built at the eastern tunnel traffic signal.
