The Whittier Tunnel

Blog:  The Whittier Tunnel

There’s something about this tunnel that captures the imagination.  Maybe it’s the length of it – 2 ½ miles.  Maybe it’s that it’s under this huge mountain.  Maybe it’s that it’s a single lane for cars, trucks, RVs and……trains!

 

This isn’t the best image, but at least you can see the entrance to the tunnel, and the huge mountain it’s at the bottom of!  Every ½ hour, traffic is allowed – going one direction on the hour, and the opposite direction on the ½ hour.  And, when a train comes up, it takes priority.

 

We’re at the entrance to the tunnel.  The green light deep in the tunnel is NOT the end of the tunnel – it’s sort of a midway light, altho I’m not certain it’s exactly at the midway point.  And, yes, we’re driving over and sort of straddling railroad tracks!

 

I couldn’t resist this shot!  We were sort of bouncing along, altho the image makes it seem bouncier than it was.  I loved the pattern of the lights at the top of the tunnel, and the lights of the midway point and the tail lights of the vehicle in front of us!

 

Ah, literally – the light at the end of the tunnel!  The entire trip took about 5 minutes, since the speed limit in the tunnel is only about 25 mph.  At the end of the tunnel going in this direction is the little port town of Whittier.

Enjoy!