Baltimore Tunnels Closed Due to Security Precautions
Greg Adams
October 18, 2005
The Maryland State Department of Transportation has reopened the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel and part of the Fort McHenry Tunnel in Maryland. According to news sources, unspecified threats were received from the FBI and state law enforcement agencies over the last few days. This information indicated that terrorist activity would target the mid-Atlantic region.
Traffic has been snarled over the entire region with miles of traffic being diverted to off-ramps and side streets in order to re-route traffic away from the area. Police and state law enforcement officials used guard dogs to sniff out vehicles and mirrors to check under trucks for explosives.
The Baltimore Harbor Tunnel is a four-lane 1.4 mile tunnel which first started operation in 1957. It is part of a 20-mile system of approach roadways and ramps leading into the city. Designated I-895, the facility connects the major north/south highways and many arterial routes in Baltimore City's industrial sections. Traffic at the Harbor Tunnel during the past fiscal year totaled nearly 23.6-million vehicles.
The Fort McHenry tunnel is the world's widest, underwater-vehicular tunnel and opened in November 1985. It connects the Locust Point and Canton areas of Baltimore, crossing under the Patapsco River just south of historic Fort McHenry. The tunnel was designed as a vital part of the East Coast's most important interstate route: I-95. Along with the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel and the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the Fort McHenry Tunnel is part of a network of Baltimore harbor crossings that provides a high level of convenient transportation service to local and interstate traffic.
The 1.5-mile, eight-lane Fort McHenry Tunnel handles a daily traffic volume of more than 115,000 vehicles. During the past fiscal year, nearly 42.1-million vehicles used the facility.
Source: Maryland Dept. of Transportation
Traffic has been snarled over the entire region with miles of traffic being diverted to off-ramps and side streets in order to re-route traffic away from the area. Police and state law enforcement officials used guard dogs to sniff out vehicles and mirrors to check under trucks for explosives.
The Baltimore Harbor Tunnel is a four-lane 1.4 mile tunnel which first started operation in 1957. It is part of a 20-mile system of approach roadways and ramps leading into the city. Designated I-895, the facility connects the major north/south highways and many arterial routes in Baltimore City's industrial sections. Traffic at the Harbor Tunnel during the past fiscal year totaled nearly 23.6-million vehicles.
The Fort McHenry tunnel is the world's widest, underwater-vehicular tunnel and opened in November 1985. It connects the Locust Point and Canton areas of Baltimore, crossing under the Patapsco River just south of historic Fort McHenry. The tunnel was designed as a vital part of the East Coast's most important interstate route: I-95. Along with the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel and the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the Fort McHenry Tunnel is part of a network of Baltimore harbor crossings that provides a high level of convenient transportation service to local and interstate traffic.
The 1.5-mile, eight-lane Fort McHenry Tunnel handles a daily traffic volume of more than 115,000 vehicles. During the past fiscal year, nearly 42.1-million vehicles used the facility.
Source: Maryland Dept. of Transportation
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