HAVANA'S NEW TUNNEL
[GENTE
Magazine, Vol. 1, Havana, January 5, 1958, No. 1, American
Edition]
Page 66-A
PHOTO
CAPTION - Havana's Harbuor [Harbor] Tunnel: a
passageway to prosperity.
HAVANA'S NEW TUNNEL
TWO CITIES CONNECTS
HAVANA'S expansion toward the East, which had been stopped
to this day
by the natural barrier of massive rocks protecting the
entrance to its
harbour [harbor], had been possible by a modern Tunnel, now
finished
according to President Batista's desires, which cross under
Havana's
Bay, connecting the Old City of Spanish colonial narrow
streets with
the vast extension of land on the opposite shore wich
[which] gently
rising from sea level, reach up to 60 m. of altitude
approximately.
This land, until now unexploited, will develop into a new
city called
"Eastern Havana", beautiful, modern and planned according to
the latest
conception of town planning and landscaping: full of green
open spaces,
wide streets and magnificent avenues.
One of the most difficult problems solved in this work was
the
harmonious orthogonal encounder [encounter] of two heavy
trafficts
[traffic] that could eventually reach their highest peaks
simultaneously and, at the same time, insure their even
circulation.
This problem was rendered even more difficult due to the
fact that the
areas available for this purpose was limited, since it had
been
specifically stipulated in the contract that the perspective
view from
the
Page 66-B
PHOTO
CAPTION - Main body of "Old Havana" is now connected to
florious "East Havana" thanks to new Tunnel.
PHOTO
CAPTION - All historical monuments remains untouched.
actual Presidential Palace to the Bay was not to be
obstructed, all
historical monuments in t his section were to be respected
and the
luxurious private residences surrounding the park where the
Tunnel
entrance necessarily had to be situated, were also remain
untouched. All this and the water level being near the
surface of
said area, were elements to be considered in order o find
the right
solution.
So, a traffic circulation system at different levels, with a
pretty clover-like design, called the "Orchid", was
designed.
Furthermore, in order to avoid traffic bottlenecks, the toll
collecting
system has been installed on the East side of the way, where
the
Page 66-C
PHOTO
CAPTION - The beautiful "Maximo Gomez Park" is the
background of Old Havana's lanes to the tunnel.
PHOTO
CAPTION - This foto [photo] shows machines and men working
hard in the Main bate of the Tunnel, during its
construction.
space available permitted the construction of a plaza of ten
traffic
lanes, which merge with the superhighway that will cross
Eastern Havana
and which will have six rapid and eight slow traffic lanes.
The most outstanding characteristics of the Tunnel are the
following:
I) Zone of access from old Havana's side called, as
previously mentioned "the Orchid".
II) The Tunnel itself, composed of:
a) a tunnel section
more than 100 m. long built on site, with its ventilation
towers.
b) 5 prestressed
concrete tues
107.50 m. long, 22 m. wide and 7.10 m. high each, built in
dry dock and
floated
to the
site of their final submersion. The weight of each
tube is 16,000
Tons.
c) a tunnel section
built on site
(East side) of similar characteristics as the one in old
Havana's side.
d) a trench-like exist
approximately 500 m. long connecting with the toll
collection Plaza.
Page 66-D
PHOTO
CAPTION - Factory of Tunnel's segments; all them made of
solid materials.
The tunnel will allow the circulation of 4 lanes of
vehicles, two in
each direction, with a clearance of 14 ft. and 11 ft. wide
for each way
of circulation.
Two sidewalks 3 ft. wide each have been provided for police
surveyance
[surveillance], one at each side of the central
partition-wall which
separates the two ways of circulation. These sidewalks
are
inter-communicated by 60 openings 2.20 by 1.20 m., placed
throughout
the entire length of said partition-wall.
The maximum slope of the Tunnel will be 5.75%. The
central part
of the Tunnel, that is, the section which corresponds to the
third tube
is horizontal in an extension of 100 m.
Due to these dispositions, the channel of entry to the port
of Havana,
originally about 160m. Wide and 40 ft. deep, has remained
practically
unchanged, thus offering the possibility of having a channel
nearly 100
m. wide and 45 ft. deep.
The Tunnel's ventilation will be provided for by the
insufflation
of fresh air coming in from two ventilation towers
situated on
both shores of the entrance channel, at a distance of more
than 500 m.
from each other.
The installation of twelve fans manufactured by "Joy
Engineering
Corporation" has been foreseen for this purpose, six in each
tower,
with sufficient capacity to insure the renewal of the air
inside the
Tunnel within approximately one minute's time.
The fresh air insufflated into the Tunnel will circulate
inside special
conduits installed throughout its entire length i.e., two
lateral
galleries 3.60 m. high and 1.50 m. wide, and will be evenly
distributed
through openings made approximately every 3 m. in the walls
of said
galleries.
The carbon monoxide contents inside the Tunnel are
automatically
controlled by devices manufactured by the "Mine Safety
Appliance Co.",
installed near the entrance and exit of the Tunnel.
The
indications appearing on these carbon monoxide alarms will
simultaneously be reproduced in the control rooms, which
will enable
the employed on duty to put into service the necessary extra
number of
fans to increase the supply of
Page 66-E
PHOTO
CAPTION - A view of the going-out lanes of the Tunnel,
during its construction.
PHOTO
CAPTION - DRAWING - Plans of Havana's big submarine
tunnel. A
display of skill and scientific work had been used in its
building.
fresh air immediately.
The water accumulated from the rains in the Tunnel's
approaches, both
on the old Havana's and the East sides, will be received by
underground
gutters and emptied into two big cistern placed at both
entrances, near
the portals. Vertical and automatically started
electric pumps
manufactured by "U.S. Pumps, Inc.", will insure final
evacuation
to the sea.
Special care has been given to the lighting system as far as
lamp
design and particularly regarding the luminous levels,
always bearing
in miad [mind] the great luminosity of the sky in Havana.
End of Page
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