Heroes Tunnel
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Other name(s) | West Rock Tunnel (former) |
| Location | New Haven, Connecticut |
| Coordinates | 41°20′44″N 72°58′10″W / 41.3456°N 72.9695°WCoordinates: 41°20′44″N 72°58′10″W / 41.3456°N 72.9695°W |
| Route |
 Route 15 (Wilbur Cross Parkway) |
| Operation | |
| Opened | November 1, 1949 |
| Technical | |
| Construction | Beginning March 1948 |
| Length | 1,200 feet (365 m) |
| Number of lanes | 4 (2 in each direction) |
Heroes Tunnel (formerly West Rock Tunnel) is a 1,200-foot-long (365 meters long),[1] twin-tube tunnel carrying Route 15 (Wilbur Cross Parkway) through West Rock Ridge in New Haven, Connecticut. Opened in 1949, it was said to be the only vehicular tunnel "to pass beneath a land feature" in Connecticut and all of New England.[1] However, this statement is not accurate as there are other vehicular tunnels in New England. In Vernon, Connecticut, there is a vehicular tunnel passing under a man-made land feature [2][3] and In Providence, RI, The East Side Trolley Tunnel passes under College Hill.
Originally named for the mountain through which it passes, the tunnel was renamed Heroes Tunnel in 2003 to honor "heroes of all kinds" in the post-September 11 era.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Evaluating the Integrity of Connecticut’s Heroes Tunnel". CDM. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ↑ http://www.past-inc.org/historic-bridges/stone-vernontn.html
- ↑ http://www.vernonct.com/tunnel.htm
- ↑ Betsy Wittemann (October 19, 2003). "A Road By Any Other Name ...". New York Times. Retrieved June 10, 2010.