I am FASCINATED by how the Tunnel from Detroit to Ontario, Canada was built. I know, shocker. Me and my useless (but to me, fascinating) information. Every time I use the Tunnel to Canada, I vow I will research it when I return back to the States. How long is it? How did they build it under the Detroit River? When? I never remember to. So Friday, I went to dinner in Canada byway of the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel.
[Sidenote: I remember telling an out of state friend once that I was going to dinner in Canada. She laughed and said "Well look at you, Miss 'I need my passport in order to dine.' " Made me realize how funny my dinner declaration must have sounded. Another country for dinner. Sounds so Kim Kardash.]
[Sidenote 2: Friday was the longest it has ever taken me to get from the U.S. to Canada, even including times my car has been searched. I had a grocery-store-checkout-case of "picked the wrong line." The Customs Agent responsible for the traffic jam was the MOST talkative man EVER. We sat as "the next car" for 37 minutes.This was after it took a half hour to pay our toll & drive the tunnel. Thanks Agent #12439. Finally. My turn. "Reason?" "Tunnel BBQ." "Tunnel BBQ?!" "Yes. Tunnel BBQ." "Why? Ever been to Top Hat?" "Because it is my favorite and no, when I come here I go to Tunnel." "Tunnel was good about ten years ago." "You going to ask my citizenship or are we going to continue to compare rib joints?" "That mouth will make you even more late for your dinner." Sigh.]
While entering the Tunnel, I made my usual vow. However, this time around, I totally followed through (thanks Pro 9 Oh...maybe?) Did YOU know:
♦ This is the only underwater international vehicular border crossing in the world. Yes, I said world. How cool is that?
♦ The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel was formally dedicated on Saturday, November 1, 1930. President Herbert Hoover turned a "golden key" in Washington that rang bells in both Detroit and Windsor to mark the opening of the tunnel.
♦ The Tunnel is jointly owned by the Cities of Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan.
♦ Approximately 27,000 to 29,000 vehicles pass through the Tunnel on a DAILY basis.
♦ Ventilation - 1.5 million cubic feet of fresh air is pumped into the tunnel each MINUTE.
♦ As you travel almost a mile, 75 feet below the surface of the Detroit River, you're surrounded by 574 lights, 80,000 cubic yards of concrete, and 750 tons of reinforced steel.
♦ The steel shells were built on dry land, welded watertight, sealed and floated into the river. Once they were tugged and anchored into position over the trench, the final interior and exterior concrete was poured, and the tubes were sunk and joined together by divers using a collar of tremie cement. Once the tube was in place, the trench was backfilled with 20 feet of material to hold it in place.
Cool, huh?
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| mjg |
