Richmond Transport tunnel
{{Infobox tunnel
| name = Richmond Transport tunnel
| other_name = El Camino Del Mar tunnel
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| location =
| coordinates = {{coord|37.787654|-122.483369}} (east portal)
| pushpin_map = United States San Francisco County#United States San Francisco Bay Area
| system =
| status = Active
| crosses =
| start =
| end =
| opened = {{start date|1995|12|07}} (construction) {{start date|1995|08}} (operation){{cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/massive-tunnel-opens-3117298.php |access-date=2025-02-19 |last=Brazil |first=Eric |date=1995-12-08 |title=Massive tunnel opens |publisher=SFGate}}
| owner =
| character = combined sewer tunnel
| length = {{convert|10200|ft|m}} long
| height = {{convert|14|ft|m}} diameter
}}
The Richmond Transport tunnel is a {{convert|10,200|ft||adj=mid|-long}}, {{convert|14|ft||adj=mid| diameter}} combined sewer transport and storage tunnel in San Francisco, California. The tunnel travels from its east portal in the Sea Cliff neighborhood westward under Lincoln Park and Lands End then southward to the north point of the Great Highway.{{cite journal |last1=Maiolini |first1=Steven |last2=Klein |first2=Steve |last3=Essex |first3=Randy |date=January 1995 |title=Policies influencing the design of the Richmond transport project |journal=Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology - TUNN UNDERGR SPACE TECHNOL |volume=10 |pages=37–44 |doi=10.1016/0886-7798(94)00063-Q |url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Steve-Klein-3/publication/245210220_Policies_influencing_the_design_of_the_Richmond_transport_project/links/5b5a304aa6fdccf0b2f90322/Policies-influencing-the-design-of-the-Richmond-transport-project.pdf |access-date=2025-02-05}}
History
The tunnel was constructed in 1995 as part of San Francisco's Wastewater Master Plan. It serves both as sewage transport and as storage with a capacity of {{convert|10000000|USgal|m3}}. As part of the Richmond transport project, the tunnel connects to the previously abandoned Mile Rock Tunnel outfall and uses it as an emergency overflow when capacity is exceeded.
In December 1995, state Senator Quentin Kopp and Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association president Jake Murdock blamed the tunnel construction for a nearby sewer line collapse and subsequent sinkhole.{{cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/sea-cliff-mansion-tumbles-into-hole-aged-sewer-3017549.php |access-date=2025-02-05 |last=Nolte |first=Carl |date=1995-12-12 |title=Sea Cliff Mansion Tumbles Into Hole / Aged sewer line collapses under home |publisher=SFGate}} The engineering consulting firm Exponent hired by the city found that "cracks in the sewer developed when a series of events converged, including constriction of stormwater flow in pipes and construction activities around the sewers."{{cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/sf-s-largest-sinkhole-swallowed-a-house-19989295.php |access-date=2025-02-05 |last=Smith |first=Kendra |date=2024-12-21 |title=An empty lot still sits where a sinkhole swallowed a San Francisco home |publisher=SFGate}}{{cite web |url=https://www.exponent.com/company/well-known-investigations#section-3 |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=Exponent |title=Well-Known Investigations |publisher=Exponent, Inc.}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Bay Area tunnels}}
{{US-tunnel-stub}}
{{SanFrancisco-geo-stub}}
Category:Tunnels in the San Francisco Bay Area