For the first time, in a video from the Combined Authority, a secret tunnel beneath the Mersey has been revealed.

The short, hidden stretch was the original path of the Liverpool side of the Queensway tunnel. In 1926, during the tunnel’s construction, workers excavating the area hit a fault in the rockface, a quick reversal took place and a new route was dug. Marks from pickaxes and holes where dynamite was to be placed are still visible in the 95-year old tunnel.

Over 1700 men worked on the building of the Queensway Tunnel, with 17 sadly killed during the construction. Teams started work on both the Wirral and Liverpool sides of the Mersey. The two teams of workers met under the river in 1928 with barely an inch of difference between the two tunnels they had dug.

More than 1.2 million tons of rock, gravel, and clay were excavated in digging the tunnel with much of it being used to build Otterspool Promenade in south Liverpool.

At the time of its opening in 1934 the Queensway was the longest road tunnel in the world. The tunnel, which cost a total of £8million – equivalent to more than £500million today. Opened by King George V at ceremony watched by 200,000 people it became known as the eighth wonder of the world.

Watch our video below to find out more about the lost tunnel and you can discover more about the Mersey Tunnels and their history on our award-winning tunnel tours. Find out more at: https://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/tunnels/tunnel-tours/