Tunnel Terrors.




This is a picture of the entrance to the tunnel to Whittier, which opened to car traffic in 2000. I don't like going into any tunnel. And this tunnel is an absolute nightmare for a tunnel hater. It is the longest highway tunnel in North America at 2.5 miles long. It was made in World War II for a train to get supplies to isolated Whittier, which was a secret military post. Even today, almost the entire town lives in one building, which happens to be an old Army barracks. The tunnel is close on the sides and doesn't have the feeling of being safe. Jagged rock forms the inside of the tunnel...no finished walls with bricks or panels. Also, water leaks and drips from these rocks. There is only one lane, so the tunnel is open every 1/2 hour for traffic traveling each direction. Also, a train shares this tunnel. That means you are driving on railroad tracks while wondering exactly how efficient they are with their train scheduling. And to top off this white-knuckle drive through the longest tunnel in North America, there is the knowledge that every single day in Alaska there is an earthquake. Tunnels and earthquakes. The entrance to this tunnel is shaped to be able to withstand avalanches that come down the steep hill in the winter. Scary, but worth the trip through because of what is on the other side: Prince William Sound.