Cudgen Road Tunnel

The Cudgen Road Tunnel is located at Stotts Creek in the Tweed Valley of northern New South Wales. It consists of two separate tunnels, one for northbound traffic and another for southbound traffic. Both tunnels are 134 metres long and are lit up inside. It passes under Cudgen Road and the Condong Range.

Built as part of the Yelgun to Chinderah upgrade of the Pacific Highway, it was open to traffic in 4 August 2002 and was Jointly funded between the NSW State and Commonwealth Governments. It is the first tunnel to be built as part of a rural road project in NSW. ^[1]

This alignment of the Yelgun to Chinderah freeway 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. ^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Roads and Traffic Authority (NSW) (2002-08-04). "Official Opening Brochure" (PDF). Yelgun to Chinderah Freeway. Roads and Traffic Authority (NSW). http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/constructionmaintenance/downloads/rta_yelgun_chinderah_opening.pdf. Retrieved 2010-03-07. 

See also

• List of tunnels in Australia
• Pacific Highway

External links

• Pacific Highway upgrade > Yelgun to Chinderah