Skip to main content

Northbrae Tunnel

By


The Northbrae Tunnel is a component of Solano Avenue located in the city of Berkeley, California. The 465-foot long Northbrae Tunnel originally functioned as part of the East Bay Electric Lines upon opening during 1912. Between 1941-1958 the Northbrae Tunnel was part of the Key System. The Northbrae Tunnel was purchased by the city of Berkeley and reopened as an extension of Solano Avenue on December 15, 1962.




The history of the Northbrae Tunnel

The Northbrae Tunnel is located in the namesake Northbrae neighborhood of Berkeley.  The Northbrae Tunnel was constructed by the Southern Pacific Railroad as part of the East Bay Electrics Lines via cut-and-cover construction methods.  The beginning of excavation for the Northbrae Tunnel was featured in the June 9, 1910, San Francisco Call. 


The East Bay Electric Lines tracks were completed during 1911 and opened for service on January 1, 1912.  The East Bay Electric Lines (in red) can be seen passing through the Northbrae Tunnel on the 1912-1913 Map of Oakland Vicinity by Reality-Bonds & Finance Company Map.  The Northbrae Tunnel can be seen connecting from the ends of Solano Avenue and Sutter Street.  

The East Bay Electric Lines began to be operated by Southern Pacific subsidiary Interurban Electric Railway beginning during December 1939.  Interurban Electric Railway service ended during July 1941.  The East Bay Electric Lines tracks within Berkeley were subsequently made available to the Key System.  The Key System continued to operate through the Northbrae Tunnel until April 1958.  

Following the shuttering of Key System rail service, the Northbrae Tunnel was purchased by the city of Berkeley via the Capital Improvement Program.  The Northbrae Tunnel was rebuilt as an extension of Solano Avenue to Sutter Street.  The Northbrae Tunnel reopened to automobile traffic on December 15, 1962.  The conversion of the Northbrae Tunnel from rail service to part of Solano Avenue was featured in the March/April 1963 California Highways & Public Works. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

By
After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley.  To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker.   Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa.   The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language.  The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246.  CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County.  CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward.  South of CA 127 ...
4 comments
Read more

Finding the Pre-Emption Road of New York State

By
  The Pre-Emption Road (or rather a series of roads named Pre-Emption Road) follows a survey line called the Pre-Emption Line, drawn in the early days of the United States. The story begins with Massachusetts and New York having competing land claims to modern day Western New York State that have their roots in colonial charters granted by the British. After the Revolutionary War ended, this land became the frontier of the nation and its settlement became a priority for the new American government. During this era, there were a lot of competing land claims that needed to be settled. It was no different with the land claims between New York State and Massachusetts. On November 30, 1786, Massachusetts and New York sent representatives to Hartford, Connecticut to resolve their competing land claims. In less than three weeks, the representatives had reached a compromise. Massachusetts would receive pre-emption rights, meaning the right to sell the land after the Indian title ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

By
  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...
Post a Comment
Read more