I was looking up something about the Pinkerton Tunnel and found many interesting articles about rail trail tunnels in the process.
First of all, a group is raising money to rehabilitate the Pinkerton Tunnel which is along the Great Allegheny Passage between Pittsburgh and DC. It would replace a 1.5 mile detour with an 849 foot tunnel - making biking to Pittsburgh just a little bit faster. If all goes as planned, the tunnel could be open sometime next year. Donations are being accepted at the Somerset County Rails-to-Trails Association, Attn: Pinkerton, P.O. Box 413, Somerset, PA 15501.
Also, the National Park Service is closing the Carnifex Tunnel in West Virginia. This tunnel is not used as part of a rail trail now, but the rail right of way is planned for one.
Federal highway engineers inspected the tunnel in the fall and found the crumbling ceiling created unsafe conditions for pedestrian and vehicle traffic, and as a result the park is permanently closing the tunnel. Fortunately, the upriver section of the rail grade from the tunnel can be reached from Shawver Bridge Road.
And also, there aren't very many remaining rail tunnels in Texas.
742-foot long Clarity Tunnel remains as one of the few railroad tunnels left in Texas. The tunnel, home to half a million Mexican free-tailed bats, is popular with visitors, who gather there at sunset to watch the bats swarm out on their nightly excursions.
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