As late as this summer, local residents were told to expect the tunnels to be open by the end of this year. Now the best estimate seems to be February 2013, news reports revealed. The project began in 2007.
County officials told local newspapers that the time extension is related to safety and electronics testing, including the ventilation system and cameras monitoring activity inside the tunnel. Once those are complete, the transport agency, Caltrans, must finish the road connections between Highway 1 and the tunnels.
The project calls for construction of two tunnels beneath San Pedro Mountain, each 30ft (9m) wide and 4,200ft (1,280m) long. t the northern end, a 1,000ft (305m) bridge will span the valley at Shamrock Ranch. A re-alignment of Route 1 at the southern end will provide safe transition into and out of the tunnel.
