If you’ve ever traveled between Pasadena and Houston, you’ve likely driven through the Washburn Tunnel. It truly was an incredible feat of engineering for its time, and its history is fascinating.

Traveling north-south underneath the Houston Ship Channel, the tunnel was completed in 1950.
Flickr/nakrnsm
It was named after Harris County Auditor Harry L. Washburn and serves as the first and longest toll-free tunnel in the Southern U.S.

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It's the only underwater vehicular tunnel currently operating in Texas, after the Baytown Tunnel was converted into a bridge in 1995.
Flickr/nakrnsm
The thought of traveling below such an incredible amount of water pressure might be a little unsettling, but fear not - there are pumps underneath the pavement that drain any water back into the ship channel. There are also fans that keep the air free of carbon monoxide, a generator, and brighter lights at the entrance and exit of the tunnel to prevent temporary blindness.
The tunnel is 3,791 feet long and cost almost $8 million to build (in 1950 - just imagine how much more expensive it would be today!).
Wikipedia
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, the same year Hurricane Ike caused it to flood for the first time ever - so the next time you drive through it, remember that it's more than just a tunnel; it's an artifact.

Here’s another awesome tunnel to visit this summer.

Have you ever driven through the Washburn Tunnel? Did you know how interesting a history it has?

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