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THE BANKHEAD TUNNEL
The tunnel was built in sections and floated to the proper positions, then sunk. Each section was sunk next to the previous section and joined underwater. When all sections were connected, and concrete set into place, they were pumped dry and finished out. The depth of clearance is 40 ft (12.2 m) for the ship channel over the tunnel. -
TUNNEL AT WORK
Work that would have closed the Bankhead Tunnel will be rescheduled and the tunnel will remain open next week, according to The Alabama Department of Transportation. -
FLOODS
The break evidently occurred shortly before 8 a.m., shifting a large swath of pavement near the statue of Confederate Adm. Raphael Semmes. That appeared to put the break directly over the Bankhead Tunnel, very near its western entrance. The impact on water service was not immediately clear. Barbara Shaw, public affairs manager for the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System, said shortly thereafter that the service has several mains in the area, and crews were just arriving on the scene to assess . -
bankhaed tunnel
An apparent water main break at the intersection of Government and Royal Streets pushed up pavement, blocked the flow of morning rush traffic and prompted the closing of the Bankhead Tunnel on Tuesday morning. -
floods
The leak was discovered around 7 in the morning near Government and Royal Street. Water initially began bubbling through the asphalt. It would later start gushing down the street, turning streets into rivers. Some of the water seeped through the Bankhead Tunnel causing the Alabama Department of Transportation to shut it down until around 4 pm. Mobile Area Water Sewer Systems crews had to drill and dig through asphalt to get to a 12-inch pipe that had burst several feet below the street level. T -
FLOODS
The Bankhead Tunnel consists of seven sections (two sections of 255 feet each and five sections of 298 feet each). Its tubes were constructed by the Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company. When completed, the tubes were floated down river and sunk into place. At the time it opened, the Bankhead Tunnel was an engineering marvel. Its completion made news around the country. Since its opening, millions of cars have traversed its 3,389 feet. Today, because it is so narrow, only passenger cars and
