Washburn Tunnel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Washburn Tunnel is a two-lane underwater motor-vehicle tunnel connecting Galena Park and Pasadena, two suburbs of Houston, Texas. Completed in 1950, it travels north-south underneath the Houston Ship Channel. It was named after Harris County, Texas Auditor Harry L. Washburn.[1]
It is the only underwater vehicle tunnel currently in operation in the state.[2] The tunnel consists of a single bore, 895 meters (2,909 feet) in length, with a six-percent roadway grade outward from the center towards each exit. Forced transverse ventilation is potentially provided by three automatic blower fans located in a tower at the north entrance.
The tunnel is one of five vehicular crossings of the Ship Channel. The other four are the Sidney Sherman Bridge, popularly known as the (Interstate) 610 or Ship Channel bridge; the Sam Houston Tollway Ship Channel Bridge, formerly the Jesse Jones Toll Bridge and popularly known as the Beltway 8 Bridge; the Fred Hartman Bridge in Baytown, Texas; and the Lynchburg Ferry.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- History and night view from Harris County's Precinct 2
- Washburn Tunnel in the Structurae database
- High-resolution photo at Umicore Web site
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