Heroes Tunnel (a.k.a. West Rock Tunnel)
New Haven
Regicides Trail above, Wilbur Cross Parkway below
The Regicides Trail traverses the ridge above the well-known tunnel on the Wilbur Cross Parkway. When I was just gaining a love for long distance trail hiking as a young Boy Scout, we hiked a section of the Appalachian Trail over the Lehigh Tunnel. Something about looking down at the cars below going through the mountain I had climbed felt… felt powerful somehow. I was probably 11 at the time and I remember that feeling fondly. This trail and tunnel are not quite as impressive, but it’s still something cool to do in CT. In fact, you can’t do this ANYWHERE else in New England. Why? Because Heroes Tunnel (renamed from West Rock Tunnel in 2003) is the only road tunnel in New England that goes through a land feature.
The following is excerpted from my Regicides hike report:
We trudged onward towards what was, for Andy, the highlight of the day: hiking over the West Rock Tunnel and the Wilbur Cross Parkway (which becomes the Merritt a bit further south). I’ll admit, it was sort of cool and of course all subsequent drives through the tunnel will annoy my wife and child: “Papa has been up there. Above us now. Right over this tunnel. Yeah, that’s right.”
Wikipedia Commons picture
The view south above the tunnel
There is a stone tower in the middle of the woods here which is a ventilation tower for the tunnel a couple hundred feet below. I didn’t try to enter it, but apparent – for several years anyway – the door was open and you could walk into the ventilation shaft of a tunnel. Which I’m sure is a blast.
Note: That doesn’t really sound all that fun to me, but it does sound like something I wish I did when I was up there.
The bottom line here is that this tunnel is the only highway tunnel through the earth in all of New England and I just find that rather amazing when I think about it. Some clowns on Wikipedia have disputed this claim, noting two examples.
One is Vernon’s Keyhole Tunnel which deserves an eyeroll and the other is the East Side Trolley Tunnel which passes under College Hill in Providence, Rhode Island. Okay. But that’s for trolley’s, not cars. Weak sauce, Vernon Wiki-Editor Person, weak sauce.
Bill Birney says
November 10, 2011 at 12:16 pmI remember as a young boy of 12 being there when the Heros (West Rock Tunnel) opened on Nov. 1st 1949. I attended a parochial school in the area and of course had that day (I think it was a Tuesday) off because it was All Saints Day. The governor Chester Bowles was there as well as other dignitaries. Before the stretch of the highway opened between the tunnel and Dixwell Ave. we used to ride our bikes on the highway after the work crews left for the day.If we pedaled up to The West Rock Nature Center, we could coast almost all the way from the tunnel entrance north to Dixwell Ave. I remember well the sounds of TNT exploding while crews were blasting the bores. Opening day my buddy Richie and I were able to ride our bikes thru the tunnel from North to South, the opening ceremony took place at the south end of the tunnel. After the opening we couldn’t go back thru on bikes so had to take the long way home, around west rock.
Ed says
June 25, 2012 at 6:56 pmIn 2003 I asked our local state reresentative if the tunnel could be renamed to honor local first responders who are truely American heroes everyday. Firemen, police, EMTs, blood donors and just average citizens who jump in when they are called upon. There is a pond near the tunnel names after a hero dad who in 1995 jumped into the frozen pond to save two boys who fell through the ice. He died after saving them.
Our state representative petitioned the legislators to change the name from West Rock Tunnel to Heros tunnel. I’m very proud every time I drive through it.
The tunnel name got connected to 9/11 in the media, which is fine, but not truely the original intent.
Dave says
July 13, 2012 at 12:31 pmDoes anyone know if a photo exists of the 2 plaques on the northbound side of the tunnel?
Shoshana says
August 12, 2012 at 6:29 pmThe tower you mention, also known as Air Tower (there’s actually a fan page for it on Facebook, set up by a friend of mine), does indeed ventilate the Heroes Tunnel–and one can actually go inside! You pull open a heavy door, climb up a metal ladder, and enter a circular room. The center of the room has a big grate, and a roaring sound from cars passing below can be heard, but there’s a good-sized walkway on the perimeter of the room. It’s worth checking out!
Steve says
December 3, 2012 at 11:39 amIs it really worth it?
Rob says
November 23, 2014 at 7:03 pmIt’ll be really worth it when DHS has you on the ground with a gun to your head for tampering with the tunnels ventilation system.
Tom says
November 23, 2018 at 1:45 pmI attended the three public meetings on the tunnel renovation project, and have links to the various documents at https://westrocktrails.blogspot.com/p/west-rock-tunnel.html
This is the official state website for the project: https://www.heroestunnelproject.com/index.php
This link from the state website is a 1950 report on the original tunnel construction, titled “The West Rock Tunnel on the Wilbur Cross Parkway, New Haven, 1948-1949,” with lots of interesting photos, including a close up of the plaque on the tunnel’s south wall on page 35 of the report: http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/_heroes_tunnel_hist_report_bcd__0167-0108.pdf
The larger plaque is a list of the officials, engineers, and contractors involved with the tunnel construction. The smaller plaque reads, “This tablet is placed in memory of Frederick Meade who lost his life July 3, 1948 during the construction of these tunnels. Erected by the Connecticut State Highway Department.