Eisenhower Tunnel
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The Eisenhower Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel located on Interstate 70 approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) west of Denver, Colorado. The tunnel was built under the Continental Divide, and at 11,158 feet (3,401 m), is the highest vehicular tunnel in the world. It is also the longest tunnel built under the Interstate highway program, and one of the last major pieces of the system to be completed. It is named after U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, for whom the Interstate system is also named.
The tunnel is a two-bore tunnel, with each bore approximately 1.7 miles (2.7 km) long. Construction of the westbound bore was started in 1968 and finished in 1973. The eastbound bore was started in 1975 and completed in 1979. From 1973 to 1979 the westbound bore carried a single lane of traffic in both directions. The total construction cost was $108 million. In 2002, over ten million vehicles passed through the tunnel, many of them driving between the Denver area and popular skiing locations west of the Contintental Divide. The eastern end of the tunnel is under and surrounded by the Loveland ski area.
Trucks that cannot safely pass through the tunnel must take the long and steep climb and descent across Loveland Pass. Aside from this – and tourists who want to take a photograph at the literally-breathtaking elevation of 12,000 feet (over 3650m) above mean sea level – the tunnel has replaced the pass.
External link
- Colorado Department of Transportation website on Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel (http://www.dot.state.co.us/Eisenhower/welcome.asp)de:Eisenhower-Tunnel