Eisenhower Tunnel Entrance
This is one of the most spectacular points of all of the I-70 Interstate route through Colorado! I was able to work on the some of the brick entry walls on the west Eisenhower Tunnel Entrance back in 1972. This was a magnificent piece of engineering to be able to bore through the Continental Divide! I remember as a kid growing up in Denver, when we would go to the mountains we always had to go over Loveland Pass before the tunnel was built to go camping as a family. Good memories for sure! The Eisenhower Tunnel Entrance changed those challenging climbs over that pass forever!
Here are some statistics about the Eisenhower tunnel entrance:
Eisenhower Tunnel Entrance Interesting Facts
— filed under: Eisenhower Tunnel, Central/Eastern Colorado (Region 1)
construction information
Interesting facts about the Eisenhower Tunnel.
• Traveling through the Tunnels the public saves 9.1 miles by not having to travel over U.S. Highway 6, Loveland Pass.
• The electric bill averages approximately $70,000 per month.
• The Tunnel operates 24-hours a day, seven days a week, employing 52 full-time employees with job duties that range from round the clock television surveillance, emergency response, tunnel washing, ventilation maintenance, tunnel sweeping, snow removal, heavy equipment servicing and repair, and water treatment.
• In 2000 approximately 28,000 vehicles per day, or 10.3 million vehicles for the year, traveled through the Tunnels.
• During construction approximately 1 million cubic yards of material was cleared from each bore. 190,000 cubic yards of concrete was used for each tunnel lining.
• There were three fatalities on the first bore; six fatalities on the second bore.
• The pilot bore was completed in 1964. The Eisenhower Memorial Bore took five years to complete and was dedicated March 8, 1973. The eastbound Edwin C. Johnson Bore took four years to complete and was dedicated December 21, 1979.
These facts and photos were provided by the DOT of Colorado.
West Entrance of Tunnel
The Eisenhower Tunnel Entrance is an awesome sight!
It really doesn’t matter which Eisenhower Tunnel Entrance from the East, or the Johnson Tunnel Entrance from the West, they are both spectacular.
The Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel is located approximately sixty miles west of Denver, Colorado on Interstate 70. It is the highest vehicular tunnel in the world, located at an elevation of 11,013 feet at the East Portal and 11,158 feet at the West Portal. The Tunnel traverses through the Continental Divide at an average elevation of 11,112 feet. The facility lies entirely within the Arapaho National Forest and is divided by two counties, Clear Creek County at the East portal and Summit county at the West portal. When you enter the Eisenhower Tunnel Entrance from the east you are in for a long ride, it is 1.693 miles long! Gives you quite a thrill as you pass through the Continental Divide instead of over it!
This project was something I am proud to say I had a small part in working on. To have a trade that allows you to build something that people will use and enjoy for decades is one of the gifts I am so thankful for! Working on the Eisenhower Tunnel Entrance is one of the favorite jobs of my life!
Alternate Route to The Eisenhower Tunnel
