The Negrón Tunnel ( es, Túnel del Negrón) is an automotive

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

which connects the provinces of

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensiv ...

and León in Northern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The tunnel is long and reaches a height of . The tunnel is in the

toll highway A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or '' toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemente ...

AP-66, which is part of the Autovía A-66, one of the longest highways in Spain. The tunnel provides an alternate route to the

Puerto de Pajares The Puerto de Pajares is a mountain pass through the Cantabrian Mountains between the provinces of Asturias and Léon, Spain. The pass has been historically important to Asturias as the lowest elevation direct route between the capital, Oviedo, ...

, a mountain pass that is considered dangerous for motorists.

History

Initially, the first roadway was planned with a cost of 19.5m pesetas, but it rose to 70m due to several unexpected problems in the terrain. This one was started in 1976 and gave work to 1,300 people during several years. The first of the two projected tunnels was opened in 1983 and worked provisionally as a single carriageway road. Works ended in 1997, with the opening of the second roadway in June 1997, which had length and costed 7.443m pesetas. Since its opening, the AP-66 is the main connection between Asturias and León.

References

External links

Video of the entering to Asturias by the Negrón Tunnel
Road tunnels in Spain Buildings and structures in Asturias Transport in Asturias Tunnels completed in 1997 Toll tunnels in Europe {{Tunnel-stub