The Fort McHenry Tunnel is one of two tunnels that carry traffic underneath Baltimore Harbor. It is named for Fort McHenry, which it passes underneath. An underground pedestrian tunnel between buildings at MIT. Note the utility pipes running along the ceiling. ... This article is about the city in the US state of Maryland. ... Fort McHenry Located in Baltimore, Maryland, Fort McHenry is best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from the British navy. ...

The tunnel, opened on November 24, 1985, was the final link in the Northeast corridor’s most important interstate route, Interstate 95, between New Jersey and Florida. It also is the largest underwater highway tunnel and the widest vehicular tunnel ever built by the immersed-tube method. At the time of its opening it was the most expensive underwater tunnel project in the United States, but has since been surpassed by The Big Dig project in Boston. The tunnel is one of seven toll facilities operated and maintained by the Maryland Transportation Authority. November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Interstate 95 or (I-95) is an interstate highway that runs 1907 miles (3070 kilometers) north and south along the eastern United States coast. ... State nickname: The Garden State Other U.S. States Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey (acting) Official languages None defined Area 22,608 km² (47th)  - Land 19,231 km²  - Water 3,378 km² (14. ... State nickname: Everglade State, Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush Official languages English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ... CA/T logo Part of the Big Dig seen from the air. ... Alternative meanings: Boston (disambiguation) The 18th-century Old State House in Boston is surrounded by tall buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries. ... The Maryland Transportation Authority is the division of the Maryland Department of Transportation that operates the several toll facilities in the State of Maryland. ...

Background

Original plans called for an eight-lane bridge across the Baltimore Harbor to complete the final segment of Interstate 95 in Maryland. However, it was determined that a bridge would have had a negative environmental and aesthetic impact on the nearby National Monument and Historic Site at Fort McHenry and the neighboring residential community of Locust Point. A 1.7-mile (2.7 km) tunnel was proposed as an alternative. The tunnel extends from the Locust Point peninsula, passes south of Fort McHenry under the harbor navigational channel and rises to grade in the Canton industrial area of Southeast Baltimore. The toll plaza is located on the Canton side, south of the harbor. State nickname: Old Line State; Free State Other U.S. States Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Official languages English Area 32,160 km² (42nd)  - Land 25,338 km²  - Water 6,968 km² (21%) Population (2000)  - Population 5,296,486 (19th)  - Density 165 /km² (5th) Admission into... Locust Point is the center of Baltimores Irish-American community. ... Canton is a neighborhood and park in Baltimore, Maryland. ...

The alignment near Fort McHenry and below the shipping channel required the design of the world’s first tunnel sections that curved both vertically and horizontally. The tunnel sections were manufactured in Port Deposit, Maryland and were floated to the site using tugboats. Port Deposit is a town located in Cecil County, Maryland. ...

The tunnel was built using the open-trench method, in which prefabricated tunnel sections were sunk in a trench dredged in the harbor’s bottom, and the sections were joined underwater. A dredge-disposal site for materials removed from the tunnel trench was created at the nearby Port of Baltimore Seagirt Marine Terminal, resulting in 136 acres (55 ha) of usable new land. The Tunnel was opened on time and under budget, and continues to be a vital transportation link in the Mid Atlantic region. A hectare (symbol ha) is a metric unit of surface area, equal to 100 ares (the name is a contraction of the SI prefix hecto + are). ...

Fast Facts

• Construction Dates: June 1980 - November 1985
• Cost: $750 million
• Annual Traffic: 44.1-million vehicles (2003)
• Daily Traffic: approx 115,000 vehicles

Sources: Maryland Transportation Authority 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External Link

• Maryland Transportation Authority, Fort McHenry Tunnel website (http://www.mdta.state.md.us/mdta/servlet/dispatchServlet?url=/TollFacilities/FortMcHenryTunnel.jsp)
• Roads to the Future website (http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Fort_McHenry_Tunnel.html)
• Maps and aerial photos (http://kvaleberg.com/extensions/mapsources/index.php?params=39.2603_N_-76.5767_E_type:city_region:US)
  • Street map from Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=39.2603&longitude=-76.5767&zoom=6) or Google (http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.2603,-76.5767&spn=0.11,0.18)
  • Topographic map from Topozone (http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=39.2603&lon=-76.5767&s=200&size=m&layer=DRG100&datum=nad83)
  • Aerial photograph from Terraserver (http://terraservice.net/image.aspx?s=14&lon=-76.5767&lat=39.2603&w=2) or Google (http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.2603,-76.5767&spn=0.11,0.18&t=k)