St. Clair Tunnel

The St. Clair Tunnel is the name for two separate rail tunnels which were built under the St. Clair River between Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan. The original, opened in 1891 and used until it was replaced by a new larger tunnel in 1995, was the first full-size subaqueous tunnel built in North America. (By full-size it is meant that it allowed a railroad to run through it.) It is a National Historic Landmark of the United States, and has been designated a civil engineering landmark by both US and Canadian engineering bodies.

St. Clair Tunnel
View of the original tunnel (closed in 1994) from a 1907 postcard
Overview
Official namePaul M. Tellier Tunnel (second tunnel)
LocationSt. Clair River between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario
Coordinates42°57′30″N 82°24′38″W
Operation
Opened1891 (first tunnel)
1994 (second tunnel)
Closed1994 (first tunnel)
OperatorCanadian National Railway
Technical
Length6,025 feet (1,836 m) (first tunnel)
6,129 feet (1,868 m) (second tunnel)
No. of tracksSingle (each tunnel)
Location on a map of Michigan
DesignatedOctober 15, 1970
Reference no.70000684
DesignatedApril 19, 1993
Built1889
ArchitectBeach, Alfred; Hobson, Joseph
Governing bodyPrivate
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