Happy return for Tunnel construction firm (From The Northern Echo)

Happy return for Tunnel construction firm

12:13pm Wednesday 8th September 2010 in

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A FAMILY-OWNED construction firm is close to completing its work on the new Tyne Tunnel, more than 40 years after it worked on the original crossing.

Brims has constructed the ventilation building, which will extract vehicle emissions and discharge them through a 50ft chimney.

The Sunderland-based firm worked on the approach roads to the original tunnel, in 1967.

Director Richard Wood said: “The Tyne Tunnel is becoming a bit of a family legacy among the Brims team.

“My dad and one of our project managers’ fathers worked on the original project, so being asked to work on the new crossing gave us an enormous sense of pride.

“Maybe in another 40 years our kids will be working on a third crossing, or maybe even giving our work a touch up.”

Contracted to design and build the new structure, the Brims team has been working on the project since early last year and began construction last September.

The scale of the Brims project meant there was a need for additional workforce, creating up to 60 jobs at its peak, all of which were filled by local workers.

The ventilation building is due to be completed this month.

The new vehicle tunnel will open to traffic by February next year when the existing tunnel will close for full refurbishment. Both tunnels will be fully operational by December next year.