Cumberland Gap Tunnel

Cumberland Gap Tunnel
Overview
LocationTennessee-Kentucky state line
Coordinates36°35′53″N 83°40′34″W / 36.59806°N 83.67611°W / 36.59806; -83.67611
Route US 25E and SR 32
CrossesCumberland Gap
StartCumberland Gap, Tennessee
EndMiddlesboro, Kentucky
Operation
Work begunJune 21, 1991; 33 years ago (1991-06-21)
OpenedOctober 18, 1996; 28 years ago (1996-10-18)
OperatorCumberland Gap Tunnel Authority
Trafficautomotive
CharacterControlled-access
Tollnone
Vehicles per day32,000[1]
Technical
Design engineer
Length4,600 feet (1,400 m)[1]
No. of lanes4
Tunnel clearance16.5 ft (5.03 m)
Width32 ft (9.75 m)
Route map
Map
Approach from Cumberland Gap, Tennessee
Tunnel interior

The Cumberland Gap Tunnel is a dual-bore, four lane vehicular tunnel that carries U.S. Route 25E under Cumberland Gap National Historical Park near the intersection of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. The tunnel consists of two separate bores which carry four lanes of traffic between Cumberland Gap, Tennessee and Middlesboro, Kentucky. It is one of only two mountain vehicular tunnels in the United States that cross a state line, the other being the East River Mountain Tunnel on Interstate 77 and U.S. Route 52 between Virginia and West Virginia. The tunnel opened to traffic in 1996 and replaced a section of highway through the Cumberland Gap that had earned the nickname "Massacre Mountain" due to its hazardous design and high rate of traffic accidents.

  1. ^ a b "Cumberland Gap Highway Tunnel Celebrates 15th Anniversary". Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. National Park Service. October 11, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2021.