Dudley Ward Way is a

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

through the south-eastern part of the

Rock of Gibraltar The Rock of Gibraltar (from the Arabic name Jabel-al-Tariq) is a monolithic limestone promontory located in the British territory of Gibraltar, near the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, and near the entrance to the Mediterr ...

. It is named after Sir Alfred Dudley Ward,

Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...

from 8 June 1962 to 5 August 1965. The road running through the tunnel links the eastern side of The Rock (including

Catalan Bay Catalan Bay ( es, La Caleta) is a bay and fishing village in Gibraltar, on the eastern side of The Rock away from Westside. Etymology Although the origin of Catalan Bay's name is documented, a couple of theories co-exist. Documentary evide ...

and Sandy Bay) via Sir Herbert Miles Road, with

Europa Point Europa Point (Spanish language, Spanish and Llanito: Punta de Europa or Punta Europa), is the southernmost point of Gibraltar (the southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula being Punta de Tarifa 25 km southwest of Gibraltar). At the end of ...

, at the southern tip of Gibraltar via Europa Advance Road.

Opening

Dudley Ward Way was built during the 1956-1968 period by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. After the end of military tunnelling and the departure of the

Royal Engineer The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

tunnellers the maintenance of the tunnel was transferred to the civilian authorities.

Closure

Following a

rockfall A rockfall or rock-fallWhittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, 1984. . is a quantity/sheets of rock that has fallen freely from a cliff face. The term is also used for collapse of rock from roof or walls of min ...

on 18 February 2002 at the approach road to the tunnel from the North, which killed

Gibraltarian The Gibraltarians (Spanish: ''gibraltareños'', colloquially: '' llanitos'') are an ethnic group native to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterran ...

Brian Navarro while he was travelling by car and exiting the tunnel, the

Government of Gibraltar His Majesty's Government of Gibraltar is the democratically elected government of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The head of state is King Charles III who is represented by the Governor. Elections in Gibraltar are held every four ...

concluded that the risk of further such incidents was too great, and the tunnel was closed indefinitely.

Reopening

In 2007, its reopening was suggested by the Government in order to ease traffic flow in the area of the new Rosia residential developments. Works on the stabilisation of The Rock's cliff began in summer 2009 and the tunnel reopened to traffic on 2 November 2010. To commemorate Brian Navarro, who was killed following a rockfall at the approach road to the tunnel, a plaque was placed at the site and the section of road, from the

Admiralty Tunnel Admiralty Tunnel is a tunnel in Gibraltar.Eley, Colonel D.M. (1957). ''The Gibraltar Tunnels''. The tunnel was used for the purpose of bringing stone from the east side. During the Second World War the tunnel contained an operations centre where ...

entrance in Sandy Bay to Dudley Ward Way's northern entrance, renamed ''Brian Navarro Way''. The total cost to the Government of the works to reopen the tunnel was £10.6 million.

References

{{Streets in Gibraltar Tunnels in Gibraltar Tunnels completed in 1968 Road tunnels