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Ah, tunnels. And why would you want to read an article about tunnels? Because they?re awesome, that?s why. Forget buildings, forget bridges, heck forget dams. Tunnels are one of the few common feats of engineering that consistently skirts the realm of science fiction. To bore straight through the alps? How about an undersea route connecting England to the rest of mainland Europe? It’s easy to imagine such things being found within the pages of a Jules Verne or H.G. Wells novel. Today, they are realities with countless people routinely using them every day. Now sure, not all tunnels are exciting, but below we’ve listed a few of the most notable tunnels being used and built today.

Delaware Aqueduct

Live in New York city? Use water? Like to brag? Then you’re in luck. The Delaware Aqueduct supplies roughly half the water consumed by New York City. But why, you may ask, is that brag-worthy?? Alright, we admit, it’s still a tunnel so won’t likely impress any women you’re trying to meet, but as it stands, the Delaware Aqueduct is the longest tunnel in the world. Now yes, some dingbats might try to count gas and oil pipelines as “tunnels” but, well… they’re not. Of course, anyone who is impressed by this is immediately going to ask, “How big?” The answer is staggering: 85 miles. And the tunnel is 13.5 feet wide. How much water is that? Let’s put it this way. There are currently two known leaks along the aqueduct dumping 10 to 35 million gallons of water out every day. Just imagine how much water is actually getting through.

Channel Tunnel

A tunnel under the English channel. Think it’s a new idea? Nope. Ideas for how to do it began appearing as early as 1802. Now keep in mind, this was the age of horse drawn carriages. Plans involved everything from man-made islands to ventilation towers. At first there were of course issues with engineering, and (as always) funds. But despite any of this, the tunnel was partially started and almost dug in the 19th century. So what stopped it? National defense. The British enjoyed the security that moat, known as the English channel, gave their country. Of course, once the 20th century arrived, the Germans decided to point out how feeble their little moat was by lobbing missiles over it for a few years. With the “national defense” argument now obsolete the way was clear and finally between 1988 and 1994 a tunnel was dug. Today, the Channel Tunnel (known as the “the chunnel”) is used by millions every year.

Seikan Tunnel

Seikan Tunnel image via wikipedia

If you want to get uber-technical, the Seikan tunnel is the big one, the longest undersea tunnel in the world. That said, while Europe’s “Chunnel” is shorter overall, its “undersea” portion is actually longer. One thing is certain though, when it comes to rail tunnels, this one is the deepest at 790 feet below sea level. The tunnel travels underneath Tsugaru Strait connecting the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. The idea of digging a tunnel was first presented in the early 20th century. The waters of the Tsugaru Strait could be treacherous, especially during typhoons, and traffic between the two islands was only growing. In 1954, five ferries sank killing almost fifteen-hundred people. The tunnel began construction in 1971 and was finished in 1988. Today, however, it is mostly used for freight. What the engineers did not predict was the efficiency of air travel as it is now arguably more cost effective to fly between the two islands while taking only a third the amount of time.

Mont Blanc

French entrance to Mont Blanc Tunnel, image via Wikipedia

If you paid attention in your history class, you may remember the story of Hannibal crossing the alps with elephants to attack ancient Rome. Today, you could just lead those elephants through a tunnel. The Mont Blanc tunnel began construction in 1957 and was completed in 1965. It’s relatively short, only 7.25 miles. This should give you an idea then of how sharply tall the alps must be to cause such an impediment to those trying to enter and leave Italy. Unfortunately, what this tunnel might be best known for is the March 24th, 1999 fire that claimed 39 lives. A truck full of margarine and flour caught fire and could not be put out. The tunnel was managed by two different companies, and the lack of coordination between the two left the tunnel deprived of oxygen and full of smoke. The difference in elevation on either end had turned the tunnel into an enormous chimney. After the fire, the tunnel would be closed for three years as it was retrofitted to help insure such a tragedy would not happen again. The tunnel is also managed by one single entity today instead of two to facilitate coordination.

New York City Water Tunnel Number 3

"Sandhog" working on the new tunnel

How’s that for a long name? Want to know what’s even longer? The amount of time it has taken to finish this tunnel. Construction began in 1970. Scheduled completion? 2020. Yep, 50 years. To be fair though, the tunnel has been built in phases, and is already partially online. The tunnel is ten to twenty-four feet in diameter and, once completed, will be sixty miles long. New York city has been in long need of an additional water line. With this one in place, other lines will be able to be taken offline, when needed, for maintenance. If you want to see the tunnel for yourself, check out the Bruce Willis movie, “Die Hard with a Vengeance”.

Gotthard Base Tunnel
Gotthard Base Tunnel

This is another massive tunnel currently under construction. Upon completion, it will be the big one, the longest of all railway and road tunnels ever built. Located in Switzerland, this is another tunnel that’ll allow travelers to bypass the alps by going under them. So how long will it be? 95.4 miles worth of tunnels. The primary purpose of the tunnel will be to allow high speed rail through Switzerland, cutting travel times from Switzerland to Italy by hours. Excavation began in 2003 and is scheduled for completion in 2017.

So there you have it. You see, tunnels can be interesting. They bring us water, they burrow under the sea, and they sound awesome when you rev your car while driving through one. One can only imagine what we?ll be capable of digging in the future.



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World’s Most Awesome Tunnels

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