Baltimore Harbor Tunnel
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The Baltimore Harbor Tunnel is a pair of two-lane tunnels carrying Interstate 895 - the Harbor Tunnel Thruway - under the Patapsco River southeast of downtown Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
[edit] Route description
The pair of tunnels is 7,650 feet (2.31 km) long, stretching from the south shore of the Patapsco River to the north shore near Dundalk. Each tunnel is 22 feet (6.7 m) wide and 14 feet (4.1 m) high, and accommodates two lanes in each direction. The maximum speed within the tunnel is 50 mph (80 km/h).
Both portals have ventilation buildings, with a total of 32 fans in place to replace the air within the tunnels, which is drawn in through the tunnel floors and exhausted through the tunnel ceilings. The tubes themselves range from a depth of 50 feet (15.2 m) below ground to 101 feet (30.7 m) below ground.
The tunnel and Thruway are maintained by the Maryland Transportation Authority, which currently charges a toll of $2 for cars in both directions.
[edit] History
The tunnel and approaches were designed by Singstead and Baillie, a New York-based engineering firm specializing in tunnel design, in association with the J.E Greiner Company,a local Baltimore-based firm. The tunnel was formed out of 21 310-foot (94 m) sections individually submerged into the harbor and secured with rocks and backfill; the first of these tunnel segments was sunk on April 11, 1956. [1] The remainder of the tunnel was constructed using the cut-and-cover method, extending from the submerged tubes to the north and south portals.
The tunnel opened on November 29, 1957 (along with most of the Thruway),[2] nearly two months ahead of schedule. The day the tunnel was opened, it experienced heavy traffic for the first time as thousands of motorists traveled north to Philadelphia to watch the 1957 Army-Navy football game.
[edit] References
- ^ Harbor Tunnel Thruway (I-895)
- ^ Maryland Transportation Authority, The Baltimore Harbor TunnelPDF (93.2 KiB)
| Crossings of the Patapsco River | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Upstream Fort McHenry Tunnel  |
Baltimore Harbor Tunnel |
Downstream Francis Scott Key Bridge  |
|
| Maryland Transportation Authority facilities | |
|---|---|
| Bridges | Chesapeake Bay | Hatem (Susquehanna) | Key (Outer Harbor) | Nice (Potomac) | Tydings |
| Tunnels | Baltimore Harbor | Fort McHenry |
| Highways | Harbor Tunnel Thruway | JFK Memorial Highway | I-95 in Baltimore | I-395 |
 |
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