Green River Tunnel

The Green River Tunnel is a pair of 1,138.2-foot (346.9 m) vehicular tunnels that carry Interstate 80 (Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway)/U.S. Route 30 through Castle Rock, a sandstone ridge in Green River in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States.^[1] The two tunnels, one for eastbound and one for westbound traffic, opened on October 28, 1966.^[2] The tunnels run approximately from mile points 90.1 to 90.3 along the interstate.^[3]

Green River Tunnel

Entrance to the Green River Tunnel from eastbound Interstate 80/U.S. Route 30, May 2015
Overview
Location	Green River, Wyoming United States
Coordinates	41°32′02″N 109°27′53″W
Status	westbound bore closed; temporary super two through eastbound bore
Route	I-80 (Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway) / US 30
Operation
Opened	October 28, 1966
Owner	Wyoming Department of Transportation
Traffic	Automotive
Character	Limited access
Toll	None
Technical
Length	1,138.2 ft (346.92 m)
No. of lanes	4 (2 each direction; temporarily reduced to 2 lanes with 1 in each direction for repairs to westbound bore)
Operating speed	65 mph (105 km/h) (variable; temporarily reduced to 35 mph (56 km/h) for repairs to the westbound bore)
Tunnel clearance	16 feet 4 inches (4.98 m) eastbound 16 feet 9 inches (5.11 m) westbound

Rock ridge

View of the rock ridge at Green River from the east, 2015

The tunnels pass through Castle Rock, a sandstone ridge formation in the Rocky Mountains. Due to the steepness of the ridge, it was not possible to build Interstate 80 across the ridge while maintaining an acceptable grade as required by Interstate Highway Standards. The Continental Divide passes through Sweetwater County.

Accident in February 2025

On the afternoon of February 14, 2025, at least three people were killed and five others injured in a multi-vehicle crash in the tunnel. The crash resulted in the closure of the westbound bore of the tunnel, which investigators said was severely damaged. The Wyoming Department of Transportation said the crash started outside of the tunnel, where two of the fatalities occurred.

The crash was primarily concentrated around 400 feet from the eastern entrance of the westbound tunnel. In total, 26 vehicles were involved. The NTSB and WYDOT began investigating the cause of the crash. Traffic was diverted through Green River on Wyoming Highway 374.^{[citation needed]} The eastbound tunnel was reconfigured to carry bidirectional traffic and reopened on February 20.^[4]

The three victims identified in the crash were 20-year-old Christopher Johnson and 22-year-old Quentin Romero of Rawlins, and 30-year-old Harmanjeet Singh of Nova Scotia, Canada.^[5][6][7][8]

See also

Transportation portal