 On March 11, 2009, MCBC was invited to participate in a tour of the progress being made within the Cal Park Hill Tunnel, and we're thrilled to report that it's looking good! Starting on the San Rafael side of the tunnel, crews have replaced all of the wooden "sets" with new steel ones approximately 600-700 feet in. The tunnel is approximately 1,100 feet long. When we took the tour, crews were only a hundred feet or so from the collapse closer to the Larkspur side. Once the tunnel has been opened and all of the new steel sets are in place, crews will be building the 12-foot multi-use path through the tunnel (separated from the SMART train that will eventually run in the tunnel, too), lighting, emergency call boxes, etc.
Below are some pictures taken during the tour. Click on any picture to download a higher resolution photo. |
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The new steel sets are shipped unassembled, and sit outside of the tunnel waiting to be put together. To the photographer's eye they looked like railroad tracks when seen at just the right angle. |
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A crew member bolts one of the steel sets together prior to being taken in to the tunnel. |
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The new and old tunnel sets looking towards the roof of the tunnel. Note the transition from the new steel sets in the foreground to the old wooden sets in the background. As crews install the new steel sets, they are wedged in place with wooden pieces. The sets are then sprayed with shotcrete. The middle of the photo clearly shows new steel sets that have been recently wedged, but not yet sprayed. |
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A machine helps to slightly widen the tunnel for the new steel sets. One of the new steel sets is just to the front of the machine, while the old wooden sets can be faintly seen in the background. |
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Transition between the new and old sets. You can clearly see that the tunnel is a bit wider with the new steel sets in place (slightly exaggerated by the use of a wide-angle lens). If you look very carefully, you will see some rubble behind the equipment in the middle of the tunnel, This is the collapsed portion of the tunnel. |
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The tunnel as seen from the entrance of the San Rafael side. The multi-use pathway will be on the left side, separated from the future SMART train by a barrier. Essentially, a tunnel-within-a-tunnel. |
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Guests during the tour. |
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