PAD06 - Providence Trolley Tunnel

This tunnel under the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island was finally completed in 1914. The hills that traverse the East Side are quite steep, and the early trolleys that serviced Providence were unable to cope with them. Hence the need for the tunnel. Interestingly enough, the tunnel was first proposed by George Washington on a visit to Providence when he saw the difficulty carriages had traversing the East Side hills! Work on the tunnel didn't start until 1870, however, and that abruptly ended due to engineering challenges that took another quarter century to overcome. The tunnel is still in use today by RIPTA buses that must travel between Providence and the East Bay.


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