8 Of The Most Unusual Tunnels In The World

The tunnels are primarily human creations that commonly pass through mountains and hills. But some tunnels have a very unusual purpose, appearance, or location. This is a list of tunnels you can not see often because they are rare or unique. That is why some of them have become very popular tourist attractions.

01. The Tower Tunnel, Japan

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One of the most curious buildings in Japan is the Gate Tower Building in Osaka, Japan. This building results from an unusual compromise between the landowner and the Japanese government. The 5th, 6th, and 7th floors of this 16-story office building are occupied by an express highway – passing right through the building. On the building’s floor information board on the ground floor, the tenants for the three floors are listed as the Hanshin Expressway.

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The tunnel does not make contact with the building. The highway passes as a bridge-tunnel, held up by supports next to the building. A structure surrounds the road to protect the building from noise and vibration.

02. Tunnel Log, California, USA

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Tunnel Log is a tunnel cut through a fallen giant sequoia tree in Sequoia National Park, California, USA.

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The tree, which measured 275 feet (84 m) tall and 21 feet (6.4 m) in diameter, fell across a park road in 1937 due to natural causes. The following year, a crew cut an 8-foot (2.4 m) tall, 17-foot (5.2 m) wide tunnel through the trunk, making the road passable again.

03. Tunnel Of Love, Ukraine

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One of the most beautiful tunnels in the World can be found near the city of Klevan in Ukraine – The Tunnel of Love. This is, in fact, a train tunnel of trees. It’s the area’s main attraction and one of the most beautiful places in Ukraine.

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During the year’s warm months, the trees planted next to each other form a fairy green tunnel along one kilometer (0.6 mi) long section of the railway. Not many people know much about the tunnel or have ever heard of it, making it a well-kept secret.

04. Tunnel Rock, California, USA

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Tunnel Rock is located just inside the entrance to Sequoia National Park in Central California. A huge granite boulder beneath which the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) dug a tunnel for the roadway in 1938. The road now bypasses the ‘tunnel,’ but visitors can walk beneath this “balanced rock.”

05. Tunnel Of Fish, Spain

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Journey to the undersea World of the 70 meters (230 ft) tunnel at the L’Oceanografic (marine park) in Valencia, Spain, where the sea life becomes part of your life. The water moves around and above you as the illuminated lights reflect off the many fish swimming through this unique tunnel.

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The blue and green hues of the water and the specially designed glass used for this tunnel reflect tourists visiting and give the impression of almost being part of the sea existence. If staring eye to eye with these fish is not exciting enough, wait until you come face to face with a shark, eel, or stingray. Thousands of tourists stroll this incredible tunnel every year and explore the fascinating life of many different fish species.

06. The “L” Tunnel, Illinois, USA

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This tunnel is above the McCormick Tribune Campus Center at Chicago’s Illinois Institute of Technology.

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A significant design challenge was the noise of the public transit tracks passing over the lot. The solution was to enclose a 530-foot (160 m) section of the ways in a stainless steel tube passing over the building. The tube’s support structure is entirely independent of the building to minimize vibration passing between them.

07. Natural Tunnel, Virginia, USA

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Natural Tunnel is a massive, naturally formed cave that is so large that it is used as a railroad tunnel. The tunnel’s 200-foot (61m) width is large enough to accommodate trains, so in 1906 Southern Railway established a passenger line that snaked under the natural structure. Today, the passenger rail is no longer in use but freights regularly haul coal through the tunnel. The awe-inducing nature of the structure led William Jennings Bryan, the 1896 presidential candidate and Woodrow Wilson’s secretary of state, to declare it the World’s eighth wonder.

08. Guoliang Tunnel, China

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The magnificent tunnel road in the Taihang mountains was built by 13 local villagers headed by their chief, Shen Mingxin, and took around five years to finish. This tunnel was opened to traffic in 1977. The 1200-meter (3,940ft) long Guoliang tunnel is about 5 meters (16ft) high and 4 meters (13ft) wide.

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The tunnel passes through the side of an almost vertical mountain section with many holes that look like windows. Traveling this road is thrilling because of the seemingly bottomless cliff beside it.

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