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It's boring work but we're more than halfway through it
Work on building the £371m Hindhead Tunnel is now well over halfway there.
Huge drills are more than half-through boring the two tunnels that will end decades of congestion for motorists on the A3.
More than 1,000 metres (0.6 miles) of tunnel is now completed since the boring started in February.
The Highways Agency has confirmed work is on schedule and on budget – despite being plagued by bad weather and the need to find homes for hundreds of animals.
Highways bosses said that the tunnels will be finished by summer 2011.
Once completed it will cut journey times to London from Portsmouth by 30 minutes, and the hope is it will provide a boost to the local economy.
The Highways Agency says it expects 'breakthrough' – when it reaches the other side of the huge land feature that is the Devil's Punch Bowl – early next year.
Traffic is already flowing more quickly thanks to underpasses beneath the A3.
Roger Jones, Highways Agency spokesman, said: 'We have opened the Canadian Memorial and Greensand Way underpasses at either end of the scheme much to the delight of local walkers, horseriders and cyclists.
'This means we are reducing the amount of traffic management we have on the A3 and have removed contraflow working for a while.
'We continue to work on other structures and creating the new A3 carriageway between Hazel Grove and High Pitfold. Southbound A3 traffic now runs across the new Hammer Lane Underpass and northbound will do so next month.
'The traffic management and speed limits have helped smooth out traffic flows and delays are little different to those experienced before the work started.
'Local people think the A3 operates better.
'Motorists will see a lot of change at the south end of the scheme over the next two years.
'We plan to open the south end to the new Hazel Grove junction in December 2010 and the tunnel in summer 2011.'
The Highways Agency is holding a public exhibition today, which includes dozens of pictures of inside the tunnels and aerial images of the work.
The exhibition runs from 10am to 4pm at Grayshott Village Hall, Hindhead.
For information on the project go to www.highways. gov.uk/roads/projects/3832. aspx
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Friday 10 February 2012
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