Driving through Eisenhower Tunnel - the highest vehicle tunnels in the U.S.

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Published 2020-12-02

The Eisenhower and Johnson Tunnels provide passage on Interstate 70 across the Continental Divide in the Front Range of Colorado's Rocky Mountains. At over 11,100 feet in elevation, they are the highest vehicle tunnels in the U.S. They were the world's highest for 40 years. Here, I show footage of a westward drive through the Eisenhower Tunnel on July 12 of 2020, and provide some bits of history, stats and specs on the tunnels and their construction. For more travel destinations & scenic drives: • Travel Destinations
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Music selection:
1) "Uptown" - Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (YouTube library)
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Additional sources:
1) Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT):
www.codot.gov/travel/eisenhower-tunnel
2) Colorado Encyclopedia:
coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/eisenhower-tunnel

All Comments (8)

@CentennialTreks 3 years ago

This past July I was on I-70 on my way to Aspen & Snowmass, and I figured I'd get some footage of this iconic tunnel I've gone through many times before. For my list of mountain hikes & climbs: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_-D3-4b6xbqY9qs5cN_QFT… For my list of travel destinations & scenic drives: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_-D3-4b6xbrhpr1q02qPL_… Happy trails (and roads!) -Centennial Treks
@Wisemysticaltree.78 1 year ago

I like the coldest the tunnel of nostalgia cause I would remember driving through the tunnel multiple times
@OutdoorExistential 3 years ago

Change of pace! Thank you for the history lesson!
@stonybrook421 2 years ago

I lived in Summit County for four years. Driven through a zillion times...potentially really treacherous at times with icy steep scary roads on the western side. Get caught entering tunnel when there's an accident and you could be stuck hours waiting for it to open again. Then, if you're lucky going westbound there's a exit about a mile from the tunnel that will take you over loveland pass . Another hair raising road that has limited guard rails and deadly drop offs. A lot of people have lost their lives on this stretch of I -70.
@dT6E7hmja4iXjsJw 3 years ago

Actually, when new, the Eisenhower Tunnels were the highest vehicle tunnels in the world. The new record holder since 2013 is the 0.86 mile-long two-lane https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel_Punta_Olimpica in Peru which is at an astonishing 15,535 feet in elevation.
@nissan2829 2 years ago

It's fun to drive thru, until the lights aren't working
@doowopsoprano9867 1 year ago

I am beginning to think that the Upstate Tunnel in Grand Theft Auto 3 was heavily based on this tunnel even though it is blocked off which makes it even more sad. Damn you, Rockstar 😂