Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Celebrates 61 Years Of Service

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — What kind of birthday gift could a tunnel possibly want? You should probably start thinking about that, as the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel turned 61 on Thursday.

Amid the heavy construction on I-895, the 1.4 mile Harbor Tunnel celebrates over 60 years of service after opening on Nov. 29, 1957.

The tunnel was designed by a joint effort between two engineering firms based in Baltimore and New York and has two-lanes stretching in each direction from the south shore of the Patapsco River to the north shore of Dundalk.

 

Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Construction Circa 1955 Photo Courtesy Of the Maryland Transportation Authority

On April 11, 1956, the first of 21 310-foot sections were sunk into the harbor to begin construction.

Finishing two months ahead of schedule, the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel was opened to the public Nov. 29, 1957 with a toll of merely forty cents.

Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Photo Courtesy Of the Maryland Transportation Authority

Thousands of motorists used the tunnel on its opening day as they traveled to Philadelphia to watch the 1957 Army-Navy football game.

Sixty years later the tunnel still ferries motorists under the Patapsco River, albeit with a higher toll of $4.00 or $3.00 E-ZPass.

Major Roadwork To Impact Traffic On I-895 From Now Until 2021.

Roadwork began on Tuesday to replace the bridge north of the tunnel, with Maryland Transportation Authority officials urging motorists to avoid I-895 and the Harbor Tunnel.

The northbound Harbor Tunnel itself will be closed for 60 days in spring 2019, with the southbound section closing a year later in 2020 for rehabilitation work.

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