The Lyttelton road tunnel runs through the Port Hills to connect the New Zealand city of Christchurch and its seaport, Lyttelton. It opened in 1964 and carries just over 10,000 vehicles per day as part of State Highway 74. At , it was the longest road tunnel in New Zealand from its opening until 2 July 2017, when it was superseded by the Waterview Tunnels. While the tunnel itself was not damaged due to the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the Heathcote tunnel canopy was destroyed. The nearby Tunnel Control Building — a Category I heritage building – suffered significant damage and was closed, before finally being demolished in 2013. Construction of a new control building was completed in 2014. History Early settler efforts When the first Europeans settled in Canterbury in the 1850s with no deepwater ports available other than on Banks Peninsula, they had to transport their produce from the plains to Heathcote, near Sumner. From there it was taken by longboat and lighter around Lyttelton Heads to ships waiting in Lyttelton harbour. The only other route was via the Bridle Path that was constructed in 1850 and was used by the early European settlers as a route from the port to new settlements on the northern side of the Port Hills. Although very steep, it was the only means of traversing the hills. In 1851 a Select Committee enquired into the best means of access to the sea. Among the options a road tunnel was considered and rejected, one reason being that horses would catch cold coming from the hot plains into a cold tunnel. Instead which is near the eastern end of the Port Hills, was selected to connect Sumner and Lyttelton, and was completed in 1857 at a cost of £30,000. The Evan's Pass soon proved unsatisfactory as the transportation needs of the province increased, which lead to the construction of the rail tunnel which linked Lyttelton and Christchurch by 1867. At this time, Canterbury's total population was only 10,000. Two more road links, steeper and longer than the , have been built; one which reaches Lyttelton via Dyers Pass by way of the head Lyttelton harbour at Governor's Bay, and an even longer one through Gebbie's Pass. In spite of its length, valuable heavy transport had to sometimes use Gebbie's Pass as frosts in winter could made the other two roads unsafe. Alternative options The