It is one of two tunnels in Gibraltar named after Lt Col A R O Williams, of 178 Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers. Arthur Robert Owen Williams (1905-1989) was known as "ARO". He had trained as a miner in South Africa and was in charge of tunnelling operation in Gibraltar during World War II. When he left the army he was also given an OBE.[1] Williams also gave his name to Arow Street which is a tunnel entirely inside the rock.[2]
The tunnel's entrance starts at Catalan Bay Road and exits at Sir Herbert Miles Road. It was built in 1942 to bypass a landslide which had been triggered by a large detonation of explosives during quarrying operations. The landslide completely blocked off the road to Catalan Bay Village. This tunnel also provides access to MacFarlane's Gallery and during 1944/1945 was used to provide an entrance to a fuel storage area known as Project 'C'.[3]
On 1 October 2012 a fire occurred inside the tunnel in a disused control room which took two hours to extinguish.[4]
Tunnel Exit at Catalan Bay
References
↑"ARO Williams OBE Obituary". Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: 300. September 1989.
