The biggest and potentially most valuable legacy railway structure to feature on National Highways' 2020 list of 134 proposed infilling and demolition schemes was Queensbury Tunnel - a product of the Great Northern Railway's ambition and endeavour.
At a cost of at least ten men's lives, this 1.4-mile long strategic connection between Bradford District and Calderdale was built by around 600 miners and navvies in the 1870s. Despite being disused for more than 60 years, it is now the focus of a campaign to convert it for walking and cycling use.
But National Highways has other ideas. The state-owned roads company has submitted plans to Bradford Council for the tunnel's abandonment, infilling about 14% of it and allowing the remainder to collapse.
The cost would run into millions and deny us the social and economic benefits that would come from Queensbury Tunnel's incorporation into an iconic network of paths linking Halifax with Bradford and Keighley, attracting tourists to the area and commuters off the roads.
Please join the 7,891 people who have already OBJECTED to National Highways' planning application...
...and add your name to the 14,502 on the Queensbury Tunnel Society's petition in support of the structure's repurposing for active travel...
https://www.change.org/p/securing-a-beneficial-future-for-queensbury-tunnel
Many thanks.