1
• - - ti ' 37 ••••"..'" - The report predicted least one terry closing completely' and the others needing to drastically alter their frequency and/op tare tariff to cut costs or compete. •114 tngV1 4 ...31..41111.111.e. a., • 19 ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY PRESS - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1998 the Island's £1 million question • From previous page Eight routes were examined and while no conclusions were reached in the report, it is understood Gosport to Ryde is the favourite sub-Solent route. The link is expected to provide a system for high-quality public transport and have two or three lanes for road traffic. Cost of the immersed tube tunnel range from £208 million to £306 million depending which of the eight routes is chosen, although the Gosport to Ryde route would mean an outlay of £234 million. TRANSPORT ISSUES The assumption is made in the study that some form of high-standard public transport - either bus priority, guided bus or in some route options, light rail - will be an integral part of any fixed link. It is envisaged there would be a toll the lower toll including a 6.7 per cent increase in use. In touching on the commercial impact the report said initial analysis showed the majority of vehicle traffic on the ferries would transfer to a fixed link. As a result of this it predicted at least one ferry closing completely' and the others needing to drastically alter their frequency and/or fare tariff to cut costs or compete. year to a high of 2.5 million. based on 1996 figures. Given that a possible opehing year for a fixed link would be 2005, it was anticipated daily traffic would range from 3.900 to 8.200 vehicles. rising to 14,300 a day in the height of the sum- mer season. Flows would bring a revenue of £28.2 million to £59 2 million a year, at the higher rate toll. reducing to between £20 million to £42.1 million at users would be commercially advanta- geous and sensible in public relations terms, said the study. Further research by KPMG, not con- tained in the report, indicated that if all the most optimistic trends proved cor- rect, the price could be dropped down to 55 per cent less than the return tare. that is less than £15 return. Excluding public service vehicles. it was expected the number of vehicles would range from a low of 1.3 million a Alternatively the public transport ser- vices on some of the route options could carry cycles. The fixed link would normally oper- ate 24 hours a day and two notional ferry toll tariffs. were considered - a high toll slightly lower than the ferry fares at £15 each way for a car and a lower toll at two-thirds of the cost of ferry fares to stimulate use Under both scenarios large dis- counts for Island residents or frequent plaza with one-third of toll booths for automatic payment. "This implies that a plaza with some six lanes. catering for both directions, would be required," said the report. "A loading bay at both sides has been allowed for, for the purposes of interchange loading bicycles into a transit vehicle." A specific shuttle vehicle would take cycles and their riders through the tun- nel, similar to the Dartford Crossing. 4 ,r A • • • ••t There's no easy way to build an Island fixed link • ." 4.4 . ■ , • .•'• Oft 1. t4 t.: eS, - I 3:•44 . • • ' 10 • • .• rglar Alb • ; 1°. • "t • L: :14 4•4°•:•• • • • -Sensitive- sites will require more scrutiny \/ tox 0 ... --la- • ' .. r. ic $ 7>* . --4. 1 . . '11: 1. , ..i. 4.,.: _. J.. • 4 . -1 . , 4?' • .. ... r: !.. i'.; . ./ .4; . )... • . pt-..r...s. s' . .. ... 'If . • . ..z. s Vi.' • /...., i e tt --• : '4: • r'.* , •-t 1. .01* •.ert l.-, e` ,Z,1 -_-7 - t • -•-• , N1,,-, , s , ..f ., 1 . - . _.- - tw.,- :;110.4, * : 4 n: = - .--.- • ,:r. • i-.....* *-3. - . • ■• • Go. `•••. 4* a. A o • ... ' ' ' . . . . . . : . 1• Ar4{ i - .;•7 ....' ' l' ' Of si . o i ' . .. . * * *7- ■ ' -. ... .2:4 • "4 .:„.4„.. ...-- - - ;,. 6 _ -1:. - :. 1, .... -1 • • 14 .• * - '-• • •. , -2• 11 . i-g .: . :- • i . I, 44:41-7. •, ........,,,, s . 7 • ' , 7 -- tX40 -4'' 1 "r:,-tr . "" r -4-1-,, 4, ' .•' ........ v-• t ' .1 IC I ' . ..c...vo. s .„.,,,,, -:L . -- .0 . . t -- ; 7 !1.-‘'-...t.s;:. _ ai . 1..-.:t- - • . 0 - ' .. • . . ;.......„....,,,, ,1 ., . G. - :*:'- - / 1 / a Isle of Wight fixed link Solent crossing route options, from the report published by Wight Training & Enterprise and Linkland. THE three options of a bored tunnel, a bridge or immersed tube tun-. net are, in theory,. technically feasible. Potential investors, however, would examine the project in terms of forecast cash- flows and the associated risks. In order to feel confident that the construction risks are minimised. potential i 'estors would tend to favour the bridge options. hey may he cautious over tunnels in the light of financial problems with high pr .( ile tunnel projects such as the Channel Tunnel and the Heathrow Airport rail tun 'I. Im ersed tube tunnels. however. have a better track record than bored tunnels in constr ction costs. Many have been constructed on time and to cost. such as the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. the Western Harbour crossing. Hong Kong and the River Medway crossing. A bored tunnel constructed under the Solent is not a new concept. dating from 1900 when an Act of parliament was passed to allow the South Western and IW Junction Railway power to construct a tunnel under the Solent. But the authors of the report acknowledged such a tunnel would he difficult due to the soft variable ground conditions. "The system of tunnelling to be adopted will have to deal with both soft sands and days as well as hard layers such as limestone hands which may he encountered. "The problems of tunnelling are further compounded by the presence of water with some strata reported to contain water under artesian pressure," said the report. Construction costs alone of this option would amount to i40.000 a incite. The option of a bridge would mean massive spans over shipping channels - pos- sibly longer than any others in the world. This would be necessary because of the height required to allow two-way shipping traffic in the Solent. The use of causeways in the approach to the bridge was looked at as an alternative to viaducts. espcially on the IW side where part of the foreshore dries out at low water. Their use has also been considered more generally as much of the crossing. partic- ularly between Portsmouth and Ryde, is over water only four metres deep at.low tides. It would he necessary to protect the roadway from wave run-up. Road and rail costs of up to £44 million Entrance to an immersed tube tunnel outside Rotterdam. Associated roads and infrastructure add to the total costs. One design would require a 9.5 metre high wall above the road level to protect it against severe weather conditions with spring tides. The roadway itself would he seven metres above the sea and eight to 11 metres above the seabed. But the report acknowledged that widespread use of cause- ways could meet opposition from environmentalists and mariners. A causeway would obstruct passage for small craft and would probably he considered more visually intrusive than a viaduct. All eight routes are examined with regard to a bridge and a number were dismissed as not being practical. One. the route between Southsea and Ryde East would need a suspension bridge with a clear span of 1,21X) yards metres one of the longest in the world. Construction costs of a bridge on this route would he E670 million for two lanes, although this would he reduced to E320 on the Gosport (Browndown) to Fishbourne route. The favoured option. the immersed tube tunnel. is partici,- lath - suitable where water depths are less than 25 metres. The construction process starts with the preparation of 100 to 2(10 yard sections of the tunnel unit within a dry dock. known as a casting basin. The units are then floated out and sunk into a pre-dredged trench using ballast tanks filled with water. They are connected together and. once sealed. the water is pumped out. Around one million cubic yards of rock and backlit! would he imported to protect the top of the tunnel. Traffic would descend into and emerge from the tunnel through cut and cover entrances. although these could he placed out into the Solent to minimise land use. The option of the immersed tube tunnel would he favourable in terms of visual impact but would potentially cause disruption to ecologically and archaeologically sensitive sites. The dredging of the tunnel route and the transportation and installation of tunnel units would have a severe effect on navigation. particularly in confined areas such as the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour and the main shipping lanes south of the Ryde middle hank and the Thorn Channel used by big ships. Another problem is the fact that the tunnel units can only he put in place when the current is below one metre per sec- ond and wave heights do not exceed two metres and half-a- metre respectively. These conditions only occur for six per cent Of the time so night-time work would probably have to be an option. Safety of tunnel users would he ensured. said the report. by traffic control systems. fire and smoke control systems. loud- speakers and lighting systems. closed circuit TV and a central escape walkway. also used for maintenance. Emergency pan- els would he provided every 50 metres with telephones. fire extinguishers. a fire hose and alarm buttons. THE infrastructure studies looks at the suggested landing points and roads needed either side of the Solent. The costs are based on the highest construction at C . I million to £2 million per kilometre for a single, two-lane carriageway with a width of 7.3 metres. Route A. Gurnard Bay to Calshot requires up to 3 km of new carriageway mainly across agricultural land and a new Medina crossing. Route 13. East Cowes to Calshot, up to 2 km of new roads. including purchase and demolition of private houses. Possible Wootton bypass. Route C. Fast Cowes to Gosport - HMS Daedalus - requires up to 1.6 km of carriageway. again including purchase and demoli- tion of private houses and a Wootton bypass. Options A. B and C would cost between ti24 and C28 million. Route D. Fishhourne to Gosport - Browndown would need 1.3 km of new roads across farm and ministry of defence land. Mainland upgrading of roads and Wootton and Ryde bypasses would add up to 1:29 to £33 million. Route E. Fishbourne to Portsmouth would need up to slat km of new roads across farmland and common land but with consider- THE study acknowl- edges that the Solent area is one of particular importance for nature conservation. The national and interna- tional designations on the area mean that the location and route of any proposed fixed link will requirecareful scrutiny. Because of the sensitivity of the area considerable fur- ther evaluation is needed. The landfalls of routes G and H to Portsmouth and Southsea are less ecological- ly sensitive than the landfalls of the other routes on the mainland. Discussions with the 1W C'ouncil archaeologist threw up a number of points. The bridge option could have an effect on undiscov- ered potential submarine archaeology as would an immersed tube tunnel. On the IW. the routes to the west of Ryde were of par- ticular archaeological sensi- tivity while the routes which terminate at Ryde town cen- tre were less problematic. although the route between Southsea and Ryde passes through an area where at least 15 wrecks are recorded. Routes A and B fall into areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB). New Forest designation. Heritage Coast and in close proximity to two designated historic land- scapes. Route C falls in open countryside and coast and on the East Cowes side in an AONB and registered his- toric park. Routes D and E fall in another AONB at Fish- bourne and Ryde has a large conservation arca. It concluded: "All of the routes pass over areas which arc protected by national or international designations. particularly in regard to nature conservation." All the routes pass over or close to either ecologically. archaeologically or land- scape-sensitive area. and in some cases all three. able off site highway improvements. Costs 131 to C36 million. Route F. Ryde to Solent Way. Gosport- the rumoured pre- ferred route - would require just 400 metres of new carriageway along with IMO metres of new light rail. including crossing a golf course and extensive off-site highway works. Costs £3$ to f44 million. Route G. Ryde to Portsmouth. 500 metres of road but this would cross historically and environmental) sensitive sites and need extensive off-site highway works. Cost% 130 to £35 million. Route H. Ryde to Southsea. similar to Route (1. Business looks at the benefits and the costs Now they work even harder for your money THE authors of fixed link report admit that the econom- ic effects of a fixed link on the IW are difficult to quantify with certainty. Any findings should he treated as indicative. They said: The peripheral location of the Island off the south coast of Hampshire has been cited as one of the main reasons for its economic under- performance. "If this peripherality can he mitigat- ed or removed by the construction of a fixed link. the argument goes, the Island should soon catch-up with its more prosperous neighbours as a result of increased trade and investment." As regards population. the perma- nent population of 120,000 is up by more than a third since 1961. Growth of almost six per cent was //While most businesses are broadly in favour of the fixed link, the results are by no means overwhelming /Write manufacturing sector of those surveyed expected to see the greatest benefit from the fixed link experiencedhetween 1981 to 1991. giv- ing the Island one of the fastest rates of growth in the country and almost 50 times the average for England and Wales. "This is almost entirely due to inward migration. particularly from retired persons. "The 1991 census found that over a quarter - 26.4 per cent - of the popu- lation were of retirement age or older. - The 1W gross domestic product - a measure of its output - is considerably lower than the UK average and not expected to catch up significantly in the near future. Its unemployment rate is consistent- ly t he worst in the South East and almost double the UI average. The report said the Island's average earnings arc the third lowest in the UK. around four-fifths of the national aver- age. The benefits of any fixed link to Island businesses would he: • Improved links with suppliers: • Access to a larger workforce: • Reduced transport costs for deliv- ery • Access to a wider customer base. But among the possible costs to Island businesses could he: • Increased competition from mainland firms; • • • Higher wages needed to keep ..orkftwee: Thanks to an autumn windfall on all Transit vans E Increased traffic conges- tion. • Reduced quality of life for Island workforce. A business survey was car- ried out by KPMG as part of the study. A questionnaire was sent to around 15(1 local businesses. with replies from more than 60 firms. Average size of respimdents was about £4 million turnover with a workforce of around 60. Overall there was a wide spread of opinion on how the fixed link would affect their businesses. The report said: "While most !nisi- nesscs are broadly in favour of the fixed link. the results are by no means overwhelming. "Very few respondents believed that the link would he positive for all aspects of their business. "Others admitted that while they supported the project from a commer- cial perspective. they were ambivalent from a more personal point of view." The manufacturing sector of those surveyed expected to see the greatest henelit from the fixed link. But more significantly three quarters felt the link would he of benefit to the Island's economy. with almost half expecting those benefits to he signifi- cant. On the section covering the impact on tourism, the report stated there has been "little investment in developing tourism to its full potential - no new hotels haY e been built since 1945". The report said that if the level of tolls charged was less than the current ferry fares. the cost of a lutliday will fall. leading to increased demand. People on the mainland would find it easier to get to the Island for a day %Tisk. But on the negative side the tourist industry loses its most valuable asset - the fact that the IW is an island. What is crucial. said the report. to improYing the tourist industry is good marketing to attack the ever-decreas- ing UK market. which has been lost to overseas. "The fixed link is going to have an impact in part of the solution but it must he pointed out that the impact could he significantly negatke: said the study. If you purchase and register a new Transit van between November 1st and December 22nd, Ford will contribute £500 each towards I or 2 short wheelbase Transit vans, or £750 each towards I or 2 long wheelbase Transit vans (in addition. the RRP has already been reduced by up to £650), or £1250 if you buy one of each. Alternatively, these contributions can be used to purchase any goods. services or offers provided by a Transit Specialist Dealer. This was an artist's impression in 1956 of how a fixed link might look. Among the trees in the foreground are homes in Totland Bay. The bridge would have been 200ft above water and the centre span would have been 2,000ft. TRANSIT • 4/.%IfitVer. • Premier Ford Riverway, Newport Isle of Wight 01983 523441 'Avowable only to cornor inres that r.n tees than 25 , fe15.fAes Veh■des s. bee , 1 /444.e 00frOnel equ.prerent Coefobterons w.11 be deducted ert ■nvorce level, no case refund &reargue 1154 offer 4 not e.vetee .0nrunCtJO, Antn any other vouchers
