Alpine Tunnel
N 38° 38.900 W 106° 24.372
13S E 377631 N 4278690
Alpine Tunnel is one of the few tunnels that bisects the continental divide.
Waymark Code: WMXD0
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 11/03/2006
Views: 308
The Alpine Tunnel, built to provide rail service to the rich mining communities west of the continental divide. Excavation of the Alpine Tunnel, which became the first tunnel ever constructed through the North American Continental Divide, began in January 1880 and was expected to be finished in only six months. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the task required nearly two years to complete. Fractured granite necessitated the expense of using over 400,000 board feet of California redwood to support and encase 1,427 feet of the 1,772 foot long Tunnel
Construction: Wood Timber
Condition: Collapsed
Rail Status: Yes
Current status: Abandoned & Visitable
Original Use: Mining
The "Other End": N 38° 38.953 W 106° 24.358
Tunnel Length: 1,772.00
Suggested Parking Area: N 38° 38.307 W 106° 24.484
Terrain: 
Website: [Web Link]
Date Built: 1879-1881
Date Abandoned: 1910
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