| Tom Lantos Tunnels | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Northbound tunnel entrances | |
| Overview | |
| Location | NearPacifica, California |
| Coordinates | 37°34′38″N122°30′45″W / 37.5772°N 122.5125°W /37.5772; -122.5125 |
| Status | Complete |
| Route |  SR 1 (Cabrillo Highway) |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | May 6, 2005 |
| Constructed | 2005–2013 |
| Opened | March 26, 2013 |
| Owner | State of California |
| Operator | Caltrans |
| Traffic | Automotive |
| Technical | |
| Length | 4,149 ft (northbound) 4,008 ft (southbound) |
| No. oflanes | 1 per bore |
| Operating speed | 45 mph (72 km/h) |
| Highest elevation | c. 30 m (98 ft) msl |
| Lowest elevation | c. 20 m (66 ft) msl |
| Tunnel clearance | 6.8 m (22 ft) |
| Width | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Route map | |
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TheTom Lantos Tunnels are two tunnels located within the coastalpromontory ofMontara Mountain, on the San Francisco Peninsula inCalifornia, United States, created to allow reroutingState Route 1 to avoid a portion of roadway known asDevil's Slide. They are officially named after late CongressmanTom Lantos, who was instrumental in securing funding for the project, butde facto named after their location.
TheDevil's Slide tunnels, as they are usually called, are the second and third longest road tunnels in California at 4,149 ft (1,265 m) northbound, and 4,008 ft (1,222 m) southbound. By comparison the longest road tunnel currently in California, theWawona Tunnel on Highway 41 in Yosemite National Park, is 4,233 ft (1,290 m).
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A bypass was proposed to be constructed to replace the 600-foot (180 m) stretch of highway. Beginning in 1958, California began the process to replace Devil's Slide with an inland route overMontara Mountain, known as theMartini Creek Bypass. The bypass bisected a section ofMcNee Ranch State Park, and was opposed by community and environmental groups. By 1975, 55% of theright-of-way had been acquired, when work on the proposed bypass was abandoned due to public opposition.
Most environmentalists supported atunnel as a more environmentally sensitive alternative to theMartini Creek Bypass. A short tunnel built in 1908 by theOcean Shore Railroad went through the area, but was destroyed duringProhibition, to keep it from being used byalcoholsmugglers. TheSierra Club proposed building a tunnel to bypass the road in 1973. ACaltrans study in 1974 determined that a tunnel would be a viable alternative to the current road or a proposed inlandfreeway bypass. However, the state dropped the idea in the late 1970s.
A major slide in 1983 brought the problem to the public attention again. In 1985 Caltrans proposed the Martini Creek bypass as the preferred solution. However, the Sierra Club sued to stop construction, as California law requires that State Route 1 be restricted to two lanes inrural areas. The 101-foot-wide (31 m) road bed, complete with continuous uphillpassing lanes, runaway truck ramps, and extra-wide shoulders, would be the widest two-lane road in the state. Again the state decided to return to the status quo.
A five-month outage caused by a slide in January 1995 again brought public scrutiny to the stretch of highway. In April, Caltrans documents were discovered that showed the agency had intentionally overestimated the costs of a tunnel, to support the freeway bypass. In July, theFederal Highway Administration ordered Caltrans to re-evaluate a tunnel to bypass Devil's Slide. On November 5, 1996, San Mateo County voters approvedMeasure T by 76%, changing the county's stated preference from construction of the bypass to construction of a tunnel. On November 9, Caltrans changed its position, supporting a bridge and tunnel as the best environmental, economic, and popular alternative to Devil's Slide.
Ground was broken for the new tunnel on May 6, 2005. Boring of twin 30-foot (9 m) diameter tunnels started September 17, 2007, and was completed in 2011.[1] Breakthrough on the northern bore occurred on September 30, 2010.[2] With the completion of the tunnels in 2013, the old Devil's Slide highway was converted into atrail for hikers and bicyclists.[3] The tunnels opened to traffic on March 26, 2013.[4]
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