Originally opened in 1967 and expanded in 2011, the tunnels connect the town of Jarrow on the south bank of the river with North Shields and Wallsend on the northern side.

A scheme for the construction of a set of three tunnels under the Tyne was put forward by the Durham and Northumberland county councils in 1937.

It was built by Edmund Nuttall Limited and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 19 October 1967, but commenced operational use only in 1968, on completion of the northern link roads.

In March 2004 the Tyne and Wear Integrated Transport Authority launched a scheme to build a second, £139 million tunnel.

The New Tyne crossing is claimed to be one of the safest in the UK,[2] thanks to a state-of-the-art active fire suppression system which is now included in its design.

It is the first in the UK to be fitted with a water mist active fire suppression system, and will further ensure the safety of thousands of people who will travel through it every day.

The inspectors found it had no automatic fire alarm system, poor lighting, no laybys or hard shoulder, and an emergency walkway that could be reached only by able-bodied people.

In November 2021, the Tyne Tunnel launched[6] open-road-tolling, a cashless system that saw the complete removal of barriers and physical payment booths.