Eisenhower Tunnel

Eisenhower–Johnson
Memorial Tunnel

Eisenhower Tunnel
Overview
Location	Approx. 60 miles (100 km) west of Denver, Colorado
Coordinates	39°40′43″N 105°55′12″W / 39.6785°N 105.9200°W / 39.6785; -105.9200
Route	I-70
Crosses	Continental Divide
Operation
Opened	1973 Eisenhower (westbound) 1979 Johnson (eastbound)
Operator	Colorado Department of Transportation
Character	Twin-bore tunnel
Vehicles per day	32,260 vehicles (2007)
Technical
Length	1.693 mi (2.72 km) westbound 1.697 mi (2.73 km) eastbound
Highest elevation	11,158 ft (3,401 m) west portal
Lowest elevation	11,013 ft (3,357 m) east portal
Tunnel clearance	13.92 ft (4.24 m)
Width	40 ft (12.2 m) each
Grade	1.64%

The Eisenhower Tunnel, officially the Eisenhower–Edwin C. Johnson Memorial Tunnel,^[1] is a dual-bore, four-lane vehicular tunnel in the western United States, approximately 60 miles (97 km) west of Denver, Colorado. The tunnel carries Interstate 70 (I-70) under the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. With a maximum elevation of 11,158 feet (3,401 m) above sea level, it is one of the highest vehicular tunnels in the world. The tunnel is the longest mountain tunnel and highest point on the Interstate Highway System. Opened in 1973, the westbound bore is named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, the U.S. President for whom the Interstate system is also named. The eastbound bore was completed in 1979 and is named for Edwin C. Johnson, a governor and U.S. Senator who lobbied for an Interstate Highway to be built across Colorado.