Hundreds of people gathered on a cold windswept cliff in the fog Monday morning to celebrate the opening of the Bay Area's newest transportation project.
But the Devil's Slide Tunnel, which opens to the motoring public in time for Tuesday morning's commute, is not just another piece of infrastructure, as 17 speakers repeatedly reminded the shivering but happy crowd.Vintage tubs
While the 4,200-foot twin-bore tunnel is the first highway tunnel in California in nearly 50 years and a state-of-the- art project that will eliminate a dangerous stretch of highway known for collapsing in wet weather, it is foremost an example of grassroots democracy at work, they said.
Speaker after speaker at the invitation-only event hailed the "tunnelistas," a group of dozens of community members who campaigned tirelessly to get Caltrans to build a tunnel around slippery Devil's Slide instead of an inland bypass over pristine and ecologically sensitive coastal hills.
"It took an uprising of the people to think tunnel, vote tunnel, build tunnel and today, at last, to open tunnel," said Zoe Kersteen-Tucker,an activist who embraced the slogan "Think Tunnel," and helped celebrate the opening of the $439 million project, which took five and a half years to complete.
Appropriate dress
Many in the crowd, most of whom were bused to the ceremonies at the south portal to the tunnel wore, carried or waved yellow and black "Think Tunnel" bumperstickers. Others sported even more colorful attire: wild hats,tyre equipments tie-dyed T-shirts, decorated hardhats. One man, a long-time commuter, dressed as the devil,prepreg in deference to the rocky promontory's namesake.
"I've been going over this thing for 40 years," said Tony Dominski, a metal worker from Pacifica, who wore red horns and a dusty red suit. " I figured this is the Devil's Slide, so he needed some representation here.Antique bath fixtures "
The festivities Monday included walking the full length of the tunnel, still free of oil spots and skid marks. The long series of speeches was followed by a traditional ribbon cutting and a historic parade of cars - from a Model T to a Tesla, and including the legendary 1974 Plymouth Satellite Gov. Jerry Brown drove during his first term as governor.
Then the crowd reboarded a caravan of SamTrans buses, drove slowly through the southbound tunnel in the wrong direction to Pacifica, where the buses turned around and made one final drive over Devil's Slide.
Bonus: park with view
After the tunnel opens to traffic, Caltrans will block off the troublesome 1.1-mile stretch of Highway 1,Auto Accessories wholesalers build parking lots at either end and hand it over to San Mateo County, which will turn it into a hiking and biking trail with a great view. Motorists will have less of a view as they zip through the one-lane bores, but they'll have a safer trip, and some assurance that the highway won't collapse as it has repeatedly since it opened in 1937.
"This tunnel means so much to our communities," said Pacifica Mayor Len Stone. "During those El Ni?o winters, it means our businesses, commuters and residents can wake up in the morning and know that the highway is still there."
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