Whittier Tunnel Tour
PNWIS will be hosting a tour of the Whittier Tunnel from 8:30am to noon on Wednesday. This will be a technical tour of a remarkable one-lane rail/vehicle (!) tunnel, which opened in 2000 and lays claim to many distinctions such as:
- The longest highway tunnel in North America (2.5 miles),
- The first tunnel in the United States that has a ventilation system that combines jet turbine and portal fans,
- The first tunnel with a unique computerized traffic-control system that regulates both rail and highway traffic,
- The first tunnel designed to operate in temperatures down to minus 40 degrees F and in winds up to 150 mph,
- And the portal buildings are designed to withstand avalanches!
For more info about the tunnel, click here.
This tour is limited to the first 30 registrants, so register soon! To register for the tour, please e-mail Nancy Sander or call her at 907-563-2155.