*Driving across
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Before Richard Marsh gets down to final negotiation of the Channel Tunnel arrangements with French Railways and the French Government those who advocate a road tunnel should pipe up smartly.
C. W. Niel McGowan has proposed a hybrid structure—causeways off each coast, immersed tubes under main shipping lanes and connecting bridges linking the causeways and tubes.
I gather that the causeways would be no bigger than those already built by the Dutch in their Delta plan arid the 12 km tubes would be short enough to ventilate economically. Mr. McGowan is chairman of the International Oil Tankers Commission, so he is well placed to reassure marine objectors that no navigational hazards would ensue.
A hybrid structure would cost much more than an all-rail tunnel but no opinion poll is necessary to demonstrate that most people would prefer to drive across to France. A new task for the Ministry's tame economists, perhaps? It would make a change from their road track costs chore.