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From 1976 to 1983, the increasingly heavily traveled
Turnpike was widened from two lanes to four over its entire length with the exception of the Memorial Tunnel. This caused bottlenecks where the newly widened divided highway transitioned to the two-lane, two-way tunnel, which also had a lower speed
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Instead of upgrading and widening the tunnel, it was bypassed on a new 1.72-mile (2.77 km) alignment that also bypassed Bender Bridge over Paint Creek. As part of the $ 35 million bypass project, 10 million cubic yards (7,600,000 m) of earth and 300,000 tons of coal were removed from
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for military first responders to train for various situations that may arise in such a location without alarming the general public. In 2020, the Center for
National Response ceased operations at the tunnel. In February 2022, an agreement was made between the West Virginia Adjutant General's office
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Construction of the
Memorial Tunnel began in 1952. It opened to traffic on November 8, 1954, at a final cost of $ 5 million. Its construction required moving 91,000 cubic yards (70,000 m) of earth, and it was the first tunnel in the nation to have
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entered a deal with the state to utilize the abandoned tunnel for smoke, fire and ventilation experiments. These experiments were carried out to design better developed ventilation systems for the tunnels being constructed as part of the
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By 2000, the tunnel had been selected as the location where the Center for
National Response would conduct anti-terrorism training exercises. The facilities offered in the center included:
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Steelhammer, Rick (January 19, 2002). "A smashing success: Turnpike tunnel still has value
Disaster training site's popularity explodes globally". The Charleston Gazette. p. 1A.
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Lily, Roger (December 18, 2000). "T 'Terrorism' on the
Turnpike: Officers train for worst-case scenarios in closed Memorial Tunnel". The Charleston Gazette. p. 1A.
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Groups from around the country sent personnel to West
Virginia to train in the facility. In all, about 160,000 first responders have been trained by West Virginians.
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allowing jet fans for ventilation in tunnel construction, which was a significant change to their original ventilation designs. The lasting legacy of the
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Williams, Susan (April 9, 1998). "Tunnel vision: Fiery, one-of-a-kind experiments saved designers $ 20 million". The
Charleston Gazette. p. 1C.
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is in both changes in ceilings materials used in tunnel construction as well in the approved use of jet fans for ventilation during construction.
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the mountain. The last vehicle passed through the tunnel on July 7, 1987, after which it was closed to traffic.
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announced in
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limit. Congestion was especially pronounced during periods with increased traffic, such as holiday seasons.
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A subway station, complete with 800 feet (240 m) of track and two subway cars from Boston's
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monitoring. At the time, the West
Virginia Turnpike was referred to as "88 miles of miracle".
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403:"Tunnel vision: Mushroom maven converts former WV Turnpike passage into fungi factory"
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464:"Snapshots of the 20th century". The Charleston Gazette. May 14, 1999. p. 15A.
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259:; the results of the tests were also incorporated into the design of the
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548:"Memorial Tunnel in West Virginia will soon be used to grow mushrooms"
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After 20 years of operating as the Center for National Response, the
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200:. Closed to interstate traffic since 1987, the tunnel served as the
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and a local farmer to utilize the facility to grow mushrooms.
438:. West Virginia Historical Society Quarterly. Archived from
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Buildings and structures in Kanawha County, West Virginia
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A 50-car pileup wreck complete with hazardous materials
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bus, firetrucks, a tractor-trailer and other vehicles
436:"The West Virginia Turnpike: "88 miles of miracle""
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278:A rubble area to simulate collapsed buildings
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263:. These experiments also resulted in the
622:Former toll tunnels in the United States
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401:Steelhammer, Rick (October 28, 2023).
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505:"Memorial Tunnel Fire Test Program"
627:Former toll roads in West Virginia
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269:Memorial Tunnel Fire Test Program
336:Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike
295:New York City Transit Authority
375:Center for National Response.
331:Interstate 77 in West Virginia
326:Interstate 64 in West Virginia
265:Federal Highway Administration
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592:Road tunnels in West Virginia
576:Center for National Response
309:West Virginia National Guard
248:Department of Transportation
203:Center for National Response
281:An emergency egress trainer
246:Between 1992 and 1995, the
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290:A drug enforcement section
184:that formerly carried the
617:Tunnels completed in 1954
218:closed-circuit television
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434:Monday, Christopher R.
407:Charleston Gazette-Mail
194:Standard, West Virginia
170:2,802 feet (854 m)
70:38.132852°N 81.414957°W
40:Standard, West Virginia
321:West Virginia Turnpike
186:West Virginia Turnpike
130:; 37 years ago
112:; 69 years ago
157:WV Parkways Authority
110:November 8, 1954
75:38.132852; -81.414957
442:on February 12, 2005
351:Sideling Hill Tunnel
190:Paint Creek Mountain
503:Sergiu F. Luchian.
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341:Laurel Hill Tunnel
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128:July 7, 1987
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446:February 21,
444:. Retrieved
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412:October 30,
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48:Coordinates
586:Categories
558:2022-02-16
513:2008-02-20
387:2008-02-20
357:References
286:Green Line
135:1987-07-07
117:1954-11-08
99:Work begun
61:81°24′54″W
58:38°07′58″N
162:Technical
146:State of
94:Operation
315:See also
154:Operator
36:Location
31:Overview
253:Big Dig
211:History
133: (
115: (
257:Boston
182:tunnel
167:Length
125:Closed
107:Opened
89:Closed
86:Status
508:(PDF)
143:Owner
448:2008
414:2023
176:The
102:1952
255:in
196:in
192:in
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
