New technology will be the latest advancement of the vital connectors of Liverpool and Wirral

The River Mersey has always formed a physical and physiological divide between Liverpool and Wirral.

Not only does it separate the two boroughs, but it is seen as a borderline marker for two of the dominant identities within the city region.

The river has also played a key role in shaping two different sides of history; while Liverpool welcomed ships from across the world in its stretch of docks, it was the Wirral that built many of the world's vessels in its vast and famous shipyards.

Read more:Major changes for Mersey tunnels as new video tech to be installed

The two boroughs remain tantalizingly close at their nearest point from Liverpool’s Pier Head across to Woodside in Birkenhead, however the crossing has only ever been achievable by ferry or a subterranean route via the Queens and Kingsway tunnels.

With news that the heavily-used tunnels will be installing new technology in early November in a bid to modernise the way users pay for their journeys, we’ve taken a look back at the integral role the tunnels play in joining up the city region.

In the mid 18th century, Liverpool was rising to the height of its global shipping trade.

Less than a mile across from Liverpool’s pier head, the ship building and trade links were emerging in the construction of Hamilton Square.

The park square was commissioned by James Laird and built in the style of Edinburgh’s luxurious Georgian townhouses.

To this day it is the largest cluster of Grade I listed buildings outside of London.

With wealth growing on opposing sides of the Mersey and the population gradually expanding on the peninsula, a quick route across the river was growing ever more necessary.

Reliance on ferries for trade and passenger crossing was growing as Liverpool and Birkenhead boomed as centres for commerce.

In a bid to ease congestion on ferries, engineers began to explore other options for crossing the stretch of water.

Initially a bridge was considered, however plans did not go any further as it was seen that structural support could cause issues for the shipping lanes and tide.

Even today the possibility of building a bridge would take a remarkable feat of engineering due to the density of buildings now surrounding the waterfront on both sides.

Following the construction of the railway tunnel under the Mersey in the late 19th century, it was decided that a similar route should be taken for the growing number of cars on the road.

At the time a lack of quick passage was hindering the growth of the two economic centres, with the added headache of congestion on the ferries.

So in 1925, construction of the Queensway tunnel, linking Liverpool to Birkenhead, began.

Plans were ambitious as it would be the largest underwater tunnel in the world, complete with the longest tunnel road at the time of its construction.

More than 1.2 million tonnes of rock were excavated during the engineering works, with a mixture of boring machinery and explosives used to cut a way through beneath the river.

17 workers lost their lives in the construction of the tunnel.

14 years after the start of the project, the Birkenhead (Queensway) tunnel was opened in 1934 by King George V - a ceremony that was watched on by 200,000 people.

The opening of the tunnel provided a new through route between Liverpool and Wirral meaning cars could pass from one borough to another in roughly five minutes and would no longer be reliant on the ferry schedule.

With a fast connection between Liverpool and Wirral established, use of the Queensway tunnel proved highly popular.

By the 1960s, the Queensway route was exceeding 11 million annual journeys.

As there was only one tunnel providing access between both boroughs, congestion was a key feature at peak times.

In order to ease the congestion, plans were approved for the Kingsway tunnel in 1965.

Built a mile downstream from the existing tunnel, the Kingsway passage would provide a second gateway to the most northern point of Wirral and relieve some of the use of the Queensway.

Initially opened in 1971, the Kingways became operational in both directions by 1974.

While the tunnels have democratised quick access to each borough to a certain extent, tolls have remained in place for their use since opening.

The fees contribute to the maintenance of the tunnels, however the continuation of tolls proved somewhat controversial.

When the Queensway tunnel was originally built, residents were told that the implementation of tolls would only be in place until the costs of constructing the tunnel was paid off.

However, when it was announced that the Kingsway tunnel would be built, the existing tolls were raised in price to aid the financing of the significant engineering works.

Subsequently, the position that tolls would be removed once debts were paid off has shifted and car access between both boroughs.

As a result the Runcorn bridge stands as the only way of crossing The Mersey free of charge, yet for residents of Liverpool and Wirral this adds considerable time and fuel consumption to their journey.

However, there has since been some movement on the tolls to use the tunnels.

In 2019, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram introduced a discount scheme for City Region residents meaning they could use the tunnels for £1 providing they had a ‘fast tag’ applied to their car.

The fast tag is a recognition device applied to cars which can be used to automatically pay for prepaid journeys when reaching the toll booths in Birkenhead or Wallasey.

Without the fast tag, journeys through the tunnels cost £1.80 per journey.

The days of leaning out of the car window and throwing a chunk of change into the toll baskets look to be over.

With the implementation of contactless technology and the fast tag, journeys through the tunnel have moved on since their opening.

While congestion has been eased by the quicker payment options and building of a secondary route, advancements in inter-city region connectivity are continuing at a pace.

As the city region awaits the £710m of funding to kick start the latest phase of the public ‘transport revolution’, new infrastructure for car use in the tunnels is also set to be installed early next month.

The fast tag system will gradually be phased out in place of a new number plate recognition system called T-FLOW.

The new system will replace the fast tag used at the Queensway (Birkenhead) and Kingsway (Wallasey) tunnels, in a bid to modernise the way tunnel users pre-pay for their journeys.

Speaking about the changes, Cllr Liam Robinson, transport and air quality portfolio holder for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said: “The new video-tolling system is another example of the continued investment that the combined authority is making in both of our Mersey Tunnels.

“With over 70,000 journeys a day, the tunnels are critical to the social and economic wellbeing of our region, so continued investment is needed to keep them running both efficiently and safely. Introducing this cutting-edge technology that delivers real benefits is part of our wider vision to make transport services easier and more convenient for people to use.

“The tunnels discount scheme introduced by the Metro Mayor in 2019 is still the cheapest and most convenient way to pay for journeys, and we would urge those who have not yet registered for an account to do so and receive these benefits.”