Oneonta Tunnel - Columbia River Highway
Posted by: BruceS
N 45° 35.360 W 122° 04.450
10T E 572217 N 5048838
Historic highway tunnel, now bypassed, has been restored as a pedestrian tunnel after being filled rubble for more than a half a century.
Waymark Code: WM5YME
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 03/02/2009
Views: 17
From Historic District nomination form:
"CS 16. Structure: Oneonta Tunnel HAER No. OR-36-L
Location: HMP 34.3 Date: 1914
Designer: S. C. Lancaster
Builder: S. P. White and Co., Vancouver, WA
Owner: Oregon Department of Transportation
This tunnel consists of a 125-foot straight bore through a 200-foot-tall outcropping of Columbia River basalt. The 20-foot bore has a vertical clearance of just over 19 feet. Concrete was injected into the basalt prior to cutting the tunnel to prevent the outcropping from crumbling onto a nearby railroad mainline. The tunnel was lined with timber sets and lagging. It was bypassed and filled with rubble in 1948."
Beginning in August 19, 2006 the tunnel was daylighted again with the removal of the rubble. The tunnel has been restored allowing pedestrian access.