Needles Eye Tunnel Collapse Boulder County Colorado 1990
This is old news footage of the Needles Eye Tunnel collapse in the summer of 1990 that untimately closed Corona Pass to traffic from that day on. A DFD Fire Captain was severely injured in the collapse but survived. A group of other FD friends were with him on scene and were responsible in saving his live.
This iconic tunnel under a shoulder of a high ridge is visible for miles around. Built 1903-05 as part of the Moffat Road route over Rollins Pass. The rail line was replaced by the Moffat Tunnel in 1928, and the tracks removed in 1935. Reopened for automobiles in 1955. Closed after rock fall in 1979. Reopened in 1988, and then closed again after another rock fall in 1990 that caused an injury. Due to its position on a high ridge, there is no practical way to bypass it, except the also-closed Boulder Wagon Road that follows a completely different route, leaving Interstate 70 as the nearest road bypass. Reopening the tunnel and the road has become the subject of continuing controversy. The tunnel itself is in Boulder County, though most of the road is in Grand and Gilpin Counties. See links below for much more information.
Posted September 24, 2014, by Roger Deschner (rogerdeschner [at] gmail [dot] com)
Note that the Needle's Eye Tunnel (Tunnel 32) and the Riflesight Notch Tunnel (Tunnel 33) are different tunnels on the same route, the former on the eastern side of Rollins Pass and the latter on the western side.
Note that the Needle's Eye Tunnel (Tunnel 32) and the Riflesight Notch Tunnel (Tunnel 33) are different tunnels on the same route, the former on the eastern side of Rollins Pass and the latter on the western side.