The Crazy 9 Mile Tunnel Through Vail Mountain That Never Happened

I still haven't made it through the Eisenhower tunnel which sounds pretty impressive and THAT is only about 1.6 miles...so imagine how crazy it would've been to be cruising along I-70 and going UNDER the ski community of Vail instead of through it.  The idea never came to fruition but it's a pretty fascinating scenario and read.

The interstate has been frustrating to many (from what I hear because like I said, I have yet to experience this yet) with traffic issues and pretty much splitting Vail in half to the North and South.

According to Denver Channel 7, this 53 page document from 2005 put together by engineering firm Kracum Resources reveals the details of this insanely ambitious project which was ultimately shot down.

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Just imagine,  try to visualize if you will what it would look like to not have to deal with those headaches or see the interstate at all from Vail and having it disappear in the mountain for 9 miles and driving through this thing. Crazy right?

youtube/Denver7 The Denver Channel

I don't have a problem with tunnels or claustrophobia but I know plenty of people that do and get nervous driving through Eisenhower to this particular tunnel at 9 miles would be something crazy. That's a LONG time to be traveling underground and through a mountain.