PACIFICA, Calif. (AP) - Two slick new mile-long tunnels are poised to divert motorists away from an ocean cliff-hanging roadway dubbed Devil's Slide south of San Francisco to a smooth, Alpine-like passageway unlike any in the U.S. today.
The $439 million project features massive exhaust fans, carbon monoxide sensors and a pair of 1,000-foot bridges soaring 125 feet above a grassy horse ranch.
The Tom Lantos Tunnels, named after the late congressman, are the first tunnels built in California in more than 50 years.
They will divert a treacherous 1.2-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway that constantly erodes and frequently collapses. Each closure turns a scenic drive into a 45-mile detour that have, at times, lasted months.
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