The Hindhead Tunnel opened to traffic in July 2011. It is just under 2km long, and one of the longest road tunnels in the UK. Bypassing the town of Hindhead it creates a continuous dual carriageway carrying the A3 underneath the Devil’s Punchbowl.

National Highways control operators work shifts to provide 24-7 support from the Hindhead Tunnel Control Room to ensure the tunnel is safe for road users to drive through. Orien went to meet two of the behind-the-scenes workforce to find out more – we hear from Jordan Cummings, a Control Room Team Manager based at the tunnel, and Debbie Wood, Tunnel Safety Officer, SE Region.

Inside the Hindhead Tunnel Control Room.
Orien with Debbie Wood & Jordan Cummings from National Highways, and Jo Gray from Shine Radio.

Useful info to help you plan ahead of your journey

Visit the National Highways help centre for travel updates & alerts, planned closures & more – or you can get in touch with the Customer Contact Centre team for help: Call: 0300 123 5000 Email: info@nationalhighways.co.uk.

You can help reduce the number of breakdowns in the tunnel – trip advice & helpful vehicle maintenance advice is available here.

Follow @HighwaysSEAST on X before you travel and tune into Shine Radio for regular local travel updates.