|
Known locally as the Eisenhower Tunnel, the twin bores through the Continental Divide are officially named the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnels. The original Eisenhower bore now carries only
westbound traffic. The newer, two-lane eastbound passage that Lizzie and I were about to enter was the Edwin C. Johnson Bore, named after a state politician who'd long advocated mountain highways and ambitious
tunnels, including this one.
Edwin C. had gotten his wish; the tunnel bearing his name is ambitious, and long. It shoots just shy of two miles through the hard granite wall that divides the
North America continent down its geographic center. Anyone who drives the route regularly knows that two lanes in each direction no longer provide sufficient capacity. And when one of the two lanes in either
direction is closed for some reason, the resulting backups can leave vehicles bumper-to-bumper for miles.
Next Picture
|
