News:

The AARoads Wiki is live! Come check it out!

Main Menu

Bigelow Tunnel, US 91, St. George-Washington UT

Started by Kniwt, March 13, 2019, 11:32:02 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Kniwt

Only because it's apparently never been mentioned here, this is a page from the Washington County Historical Society about the original routing of US 91 through a two-lane tunnel between St. George and Washington:

http://wchsutah.org/roads/washington-tunnel.php

The deep cut in the mesa through which I-15 now travels -- and which presents a significant barrier to east-west movement between Washington and most of St. George -- was made sometime between 1948 and 1954. Before that, US 91 used the tunnel through the mesa. The tunnel still exists today but is used only for storage.



I thought of this because, when I-15 was expanded a while back, the cut through the mesa now carries a staggering (at least by southern Utah standards) 15 lanes of traffic between St. George and Washington: Six lanes on I-15, four on Red Cliffs Drive, and five more on Red Hills Parkway. Here's a recent Street View looking through the cut:



usends

Very interesting, thanks!  I had never heard about that tunnel.
usends.com - US highway endpoints, photos, maps, and history

US 89

#2
Quote from: usends on March 14, 2019, 08:58:59 PM
Very interesting, thanks!  I had never heard about that tunnel.

This exactly. It makes sense too; Middleton Dr lines up perfectly with Telegraph Rd across the freeway, which we already knew was the old routing of US 91.

In addition, Historic Aerials confirms the modern roadcut did not exist in 1953.

andy3175

Quote from: usends on March 14, 2019, 08:58:59 PM
Very interesting, thanks!  I had never heard about that tunnel.

Me neither. I look forward to checking this area out next time I'm in St. George.

Thanks Max.
Regards,
Andy

www.aaroads.com



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.