Building the Hyde Park Corner Underpass

Hyde Park corner is a road junction at which Park Lane, Piccadilly, Knightsbridge, Grosvenor Place and Constitution Hill meet. There is a large roundabout on which stands Wellington Arch but in 1962 it was estimated that 120,000 vehicles drove through the roundabout every day and so an underpass was built to ease the flow of traffic. The underpass consisted of a dual carriageway with 2 lanes each way, further split into 2 tunnels. It was reported in the Times newspaper that the tunnel cost £5million and was completed by Cubitts Fitzpatrick Shand. This photograph was taken on 17th October 1962.