Cumberland Gap Tunnel
The Cumberland Gap Tunnel is a dual-bore, four lane vehicular tunnel that carries U.S. Route 25E under Cumberland Gap National Historical Park near the intersection of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. The tunnel consists of two separate bores which carry four lanes of traffic between Cumberland Gap, Tennessee and Middlesboro, Kentucky. It is one of only two mountain vehicular tunnels in the United States that cross a state line, the other being the East River Mountain Tunnel on Interstate 77 and U.S. Route 52 between Virginia and West Virginia. The tunnel opened to traffic in 1996 and replaced a section of highway through the Cumberland Gap that had earned the nickname "Massacre Mountain" due to its hazardous design and high rate of traffic accidents.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Tennessee-Kentucky state line |
| Coordinates | 36°35′53″N 83°40′34″W |
| Route | US 25E and SR 32 |
| Crosses | Cumberland Gap |
| Start | Cumberland Gap, Tennessee |
| End | Middlesboro, Kentucky |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | June 21, 1991 |
| Opened | October 18, 1996 |
| Operator | Cumberland Gap Tunnel Authority |
| Traffic | automotive |
| Character | Controlled-access |
| Toll | none |
| Vehicles per day | 32,000 |
| Technical | |
| Design engineer |
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| Length | 4,600 feet (1,400 m) |
| No. of lanes | 4 |
| Tunnel clearance | 16.5 ft (5.03 m) |
| Width | 32 ft (9.75 m) |
| Route map | |