Due to the amount of traffic and the slow process of legging, Brindley's Harecastle Tunnel had become a major bottleneck on the Trent and Mersey Canal by the start of the 19th century. By the early 1820s, a commission decided that a second tunnel was required. The esteemed Scottish civil engineer, Thomas Telford, was contracted to carry out the work. Due to advances in civil engineering, the larger tunnel was completed in 1827 after only three years of work, and at a cost of £113,000 (equivalent to £ million in ). As it had a towpath, horses could now pull boats through the tunnel greatly shortening journey times. It was used in conjunction with the Brindley tunnel, with each tunnel taking boat traffic in opposite directions.