The Main Street Tunnel, located in Welland, Ontario, Canada, is an underwater tunnel, carrying

Niagara Niagara may refer to: Geography Niagara Falls and nearby places In both the United States and Canada *Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River *Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canada border *Niagara Escarpment, the cliff ov ...

Road 27 and the unsigned designation of Highway 7146 under the Welland Canal. It is named as a part of East Main Street. The structure was built as a part of the

Welland By-Pass The Welland By-pass, completed in 1973, was a massive construction project on the Welland Canal in Ontario, Canada. A new channel long was constructed, providing a shorter, more direct alignment between Port Robinson and Port Colborne and by-pa ...

project. Its construction was relatively easy since, like the

Townline Tunnel The Townline Tunnel is an underwater tunnel in Welland, Ontario, Canada carrying Highway 58A as well as the Canadian Pacific Railway under the Welland Canal. The tunnel The Townline Tunnel is a two-cell reinforced concrete tunnel with a rect ...

, it was constructed at the same time as the channel above it and a simple cut and cover. The tunnel was officially opened on May 20, 1972.

Description

The tunnel links Highway 406 on the west side of the canal, which travels north to

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2016, it has an area of , 136,803 residents, and a metropolitan population of 406,074. It lies in Southern Ontario ...

to Highway 140 on the east side, which travels south to Port Colborne. Niagara Regional Road 27 also provides a connection from Welland eastward to Niagara Falls. The tunnel provides four lanes for traffic, two in each direction, separated by a full-height concrete wall. There is also a sidewalk for pedestrian use in the westbound section.

History

The Main Street Tunnel, like the nearby Townline Tunnel to the south, was constructed in the early 1970s as part of the Welland Bypass of the Welland Canal. It was built using a cut and cover technique, whereby the tunnel was excavated, the concrete poured, and the structure buried, on top of which the canal channel was built. This avoided costly boring beneath an active waterway; the structure cost C$11 million. This price was split 50–50 between Transport Canada and the

St. Lawrence Seaway Authority The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC), formerly known as the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority, is a nonprofit Canadian Corporation established in 1998 by the government of Canada, in partnership with Seaway users and other stakeho ...

. The tunnel opened with a parade featuring the Welland Police pipe band and various officials on the morning of May 20, 1972.Tunnel Opening
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References

External links

{{Niagara Regional Roads Buildings and structures in Welland Transport in Welland Welland Canal Road tunnels in Ontario Tunnels completed in 1972