Eisenhower Tunnel, I-70 Colorado

Located on Interstate 70 just sixty miles west of Denver, Colorado is the Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel. The Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel is the highest vehicular tunnel in the world at an elevation of 11,013 feet at the east side and 11,158 at the west side. The Tunnel passes through the Continental Divide at an average elevation of 11,112 feet. The annual snowfall for this area averages 26 feet for the months of November through April.

The tunnel's official name is the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel (EJMT), named for US President Dwight D. Eisenhower and former Colorado Governor and US Senator, Edwin C. Johnson.

The tunnel was actually constructed in two phases – as a twin bore tunnel. The westbound tunnel was started on March 15, 1968 and took five years to complete. It was completed on March 8, 1973. The construction on the eastbound tunnel was started on August 18, 1975 and was completed four years later on December 21, 1979. The length of each tunnel is approximately 1.6 miles.

Using the tunnel saves the motorist 9.1 miles by not having to travel along U.S. Highway 6 over Loveland Pass. The electric bill to keep the lights on in the Tunnel cost approximately $70,000 per month. The Eisenhower Tunnel is open and operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week and employs nearly 52 full-time employees. These employees are responsible for television surveillance, emergency response, tunnel washing, ventilation maintenance, tunnel sweeping, snow removal, water treatment and heavy equipment servicing and repair.

The next time you are traveling west on Interstate 70 from Denver and you travel through the Eisenhower Tunnel; take the time to appreciate what an engineering feat it truly is.