Lefortovo Tunnel (Russian: Лефо́ртовский тоннель) is a road tunnel in the Lefortovo District in Moscow, Russia, opened in 2003. It carries seven lanes of the Third Ring Road. At 3.2 km (2.0 mi) long, it is the fifth longest urban tunnel of Europe (after the M30 RingRoad tunnels in Madrid at 7.5 km (4.7 mi), Blanka tunnel complex in Prague at 5.5 km (3.4 mi), Södra länken in Stockholm at 4.7 km (2.9 mi), and the Dublin Port Tunnel at 4.5 km (2.8 mi)). The Third Ring Road was originally planned for a surface alignment across the historic district of Lefortovo; however, public outcry from local residents blocked these plans, and the tunnel was built instead.[1]
 Entrance to the Lefortovo Tunnel | |
  | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Lefortovo District, Moscow, Russia |
| Coordinates | 55°45′51″N 37°42′06″E / 55.764068°N 37.701645°E |
| Route | Third Ring Road |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 2003 |
| Traffic | Automotive |
| Technical | |
| Length | 3.2 km (2.0 mi) |
| No. of lanes | 7 (3 lanes northbound, 4 lanes southbound) |
The tunnel runs under the Yauza River, and water leaks in at some points. The temperature has reached as low as −38 °C (−36 °F) [citation needed] (as during the winter of 2005), causing the water on the road's surface to freeze.
It has been nicknamed "The Tunnel of Death" (Russian: Тоннель Смерти)[2][3] owing to its high accident rate and a viral video circulating around the Internet compiling footage of vehicle accidents (many caused by skidding on ice in winter) recorded by monitoring cameras.
References
External links
- Moscow-Lefortovo Tunnel at Structurae
- Tunnel boring equipment from construction
- Street map, showing the Lefortovo tunnel as a double dotted line
- Lefortovo monitoring structure monitoring
- Video of Lefortovo Tunnel crashes Clean version: Лефортово - тоннель смерти