Tunnel Vision

Darrin used to have to travel a lot for work. One time, he was trapped on a plane for hours waiting to take off. As he sat there, the walls closed in. His coworker literally climbed over Darrin’s seat and headed for the door stating that he was getting off this plane right now! Just then they were cleared to take off and all was okay. That bit of claustrophobia has stuck with him.

Fast forward to a couple of days ago when we realized getting to Whittier involved driving through a tunnel, a very long tunnel. Did I mention that the rover was in desperate need of a tune up! Did I mention that the Whittier Tunnel is one of the world’s longest drivable tunnels. Did I mention that its 2 and a half miles long! Suddenly, Darrin is back on the plane, but this time it’s him scrambling for the door saying I’m outa here!

The construction of the Whittier Tunnel began in earnest between 1941 and 1943 as a railroad line to reach the year round, ice free port in Whittier during WW2. As more people wanted to access Whittier (being only 1 hour out of Anchorage) they began to load cars on the train to transport people and vehicles. In 1998 the tracks were modified to allow both vehicle and trains to traverse the tunnel.

Here is how it works. The tunnel is one way traffic only. You line up on the hour or half hour depending on the direction. The light turns green and you proceed at 25mph with a 50 to 100 yard spacing to the vehicle in front of you. You periodically pass fire safety shelters and can feel the blast of huge turbine fans that provide breathable air and clear the exhaust. You bounce along in the dark through the tiny, rough blasted tunnel. All the while thinking “If something happens now, it’s a mile walk out of here in either direction!”

Now that we are through it’s not as bad as it sounds. It’s a bit like a Disney theme ride….narrow, dark, cold, dripping, rough blasted rock….oh crap…I’m outa here!