The Cudgen Road Tunnel is a twin-tube road tunnel that forms part of the Pacific Motorway (M1) located near Stotts Creek in the Tweed Valley of New South Wales, Australia. The twin 134-metre-long (440 ft) tunnels are illuminated inside with northbound traffic using one tunnel and southbound traffic in the other. The tunnels pass under the Cudgen Road and the Condong Range.[1]

Cudgen Road Tunnel
Overview
LocationStotts Creek, Tweed Valley, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates28°16′45″S 153°31′12″E / 28.279181°S 153.520100°E / -28.279181; 153.520100
StatusOpen
Route Pacific Motorway
Operation
ConstructedAbigroup
Opened4 August 2002
OwnerTransport for NSW
TrafficRoad
CharacterDual carriageway motorway
Technical
Length134 metres (440 ft)
No. of lanes4
Operating speed110 kilometres per hour (68 mph)

Features

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It was built by Abigroup as part of the Yelgun to Chinderah upgrade of the Pacific Highway, opening on 4 August 2002.[2] It was jointly funded by the New South Wales and Federal governments.[3] It is the first tunnel to be built as part of a rural road project in NSW.[4]

This alignment of the Yelgun to Chinderah motorway was aimed at avoiding the loss of prime cane land, avoiding flood-prone areas and preserving important local animal habitat. The best route was through the Condong Range. A tunnel was chosen instead of a road cutting because it was sympathetic with the surrounding environment by removing the visual impact of a road cutting.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Yelgun Bypass – Cudgen Road Tunnel". Australasian Tunnelling Society. 2016. Archived from the original on 27 November 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  2. ^ Yelgun to Chinderah Freeway Abigroup
  3. ^ "Yelgun to Chinderah, Pacific Highway upgrade". Roads & Traffic Authority. Government of New South Wales. 22 April 2009. Archived from the original on 4 June 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Yelgun to Chinderah Freeway Official Opening 4 August 2002" (PDF). Roads & Traffic Authority. Government of New South Wales. 4 August 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2010.