The Queen Creek Tunnel is a tunnel on

US 60 U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia. The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...

in the

Superstition Mountains The Superstition Mountains ( yuf-x-yav, Wi:kchsawa) is a range of mountains in Arizona located to the east of the Phoenix metropolitan area. They are anchored by Superstition Mountain, a large mountain that is a popular recreation destination for ...

, just east of

Superior, Arizona Superior (Western Apache: Yooʼ Łigai) is a town in Pinal County, Arizona. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town is 2,407. Superior was founded as a mining town for the Silver King and the later Magma mines; silver was mined ...

. Completed in 1952, the Queen Creek Tunnel links

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

with Safford by way of Superior and

Globe A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model globe ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. It replaced the smaller Claypool Tunnel that had been built in 1926. The new tunnel was cut through the solid rock of the Queen Creek gorge, approximately from the mountain summit.. It is in height and wide at its base. The cost of the tunnel at the time of its construction was $550,000 and it was built by the Fisher Contracting Company. At the 1952 dedication ceremony, a drill rig used in boring the tunnel was used as a platform for the speakers, other officials, and a brass band. The completion of the tunnel was the final part of an

Arizona Highway Department The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT, pronounced "A-Dot") is an Arizona state government agency charged with facilitating mobility within the state. In addition to managing the state's highway system, the agency is also involved with p ...

program begun in 1937 to improve the original approximately section of US 60 between Superior and Miami that was constructed in 1920–22. The roadbed in the tunnel climbs at a 6% grade, and the original lighting was insufficient to allow motorists good depth perception. The original lighting was improved with the installation of

fluorescent Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, the emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore a lower photon energy, tha ...

lights in the 1960s. Assistance in design of the new lighting was given by

Arizona Public Service Arizona Public Service (APS) is the largest electric utility in Arizona, United States. Since 1985, it has been the principal subsidiary of publicly traded S&P 500 member Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, known as AZP Group until 1987. Pinnacl ...

and the

California Division of Highways The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the cabinet-level California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). Caltrans is headquartered in Sacrame ...

. In October 2016, the tunnel lighting system was upgraded to

light-emitting diode A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (cor ...

(LED) technology; it was the first tunnel in Arizona to get LEDs. The lighting system adjusts the lighting level based upon ambient light and weather conditions outside with an

adaptive control Adaptive control is the control method used by a controller which must adapt to a controlled system with parameters which vary, or are initially uncertain. For example, as an aircraft flies, its mass will slowly decrease as a result of fuel consumpt ...

system. The system offers improved visibility, reduced energy consumption, and lower maintenance.

Arizona Department of Transportation The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT, pronounced "A-Dot") is an Arizona state government agency charged with facilitating mobility within the state. In addition to managing the state's state highways, highway system, the agency is also i ...

(ADOT) plans to eventually widen US 60 in the area and may bypass the tunnel to avoid the impact of such a project on an environmentally sensitive canyon.

References

External links

Pictures of the Queen Creek tunnel and nearby roads and structures
{{Authority control Tunnels in Arizona Buildings and structures in Pinal County, Arizona Transportation in Pinal County, Arizona Tunnels completed in 1952 U.S. Route 60 Road tunnels in the United States