East Side Trolley Tunnel

The East Side Trolley Tunnel, also known as the College Hill Tunnel,[1][2][3]:82 is a tunnel in Providence, Rhode Island, originally built for trolley use in 1914, and now used for public transit buses. It runs for 2,160 feet (660 m)[1][3] under College Hill on Providence's East Side, with its west end at South Main Street and its east end at Thayer Street. Prior to the construction of the Trolley Tunnel, the steepness of the streets climbing College Hill led to construction of the only cable-car system ever to be built in New England.[4][5]

For the disused East Side rail tunnel, see East Side Railroad Tunnel.
East Side Trolley Tunnel
The eastern entrance to the tunnel on Thayer Street
Overview
Other name(s)College Hill Tunnel
LocationProvidence, Rhode Island
Coordinates
StartSouth Main Street
EndThayer Street
Operation
Opened1914
Rebuilt1948
Technical
Length2,160 feet (660 m)
Western entrance on North Main Street

The west portal of the tunnel was built directly under the original classroom building of the Rhode Island School of Design, which was built in the mid-1890s and required extensive and complicated construction methods to support the building above as the tunnel was bored.

In 1948 the tracks were removed and the tunnel was paved for use by buses and trackless trolleys. The tunnel was used by two trackless trolley routes, Elmgrove Avenue and Hope Street, from fall 1948 to fall 1953.[1][3] The trackless trolley system in Providence was dismantled in the mid-1950s, the last route closing on June 24, 1955.[3]:92 The tunnel remains in use today, reserved exclusively for buses—currently the RIPTA routes 1, 32, 33, 34, 40, 49, and 61. Police and Fire Department vehicles also make use of the tunnel. In addition to providing a gentler grade than the surrounding city streets, the tunnel allows the public-transit vehicles to avoid vehicular traffic and stoplights.

The East Side Trolley Tunnel could be considered the first bus rapid transit operation in North America, considering its exclusive and continuous bus use since 1948.

Despite signs explicitly forbidding them from entering, skateboarding through the tunnel is fairly common. Auto parts salesmen, couriers and other delivery personnel have been known to "shoot the tunnel" to avoid traffic congestion, despite the substantial traffic fine.

References
  1. Sebree, Mac; Ward, Paul (1974). The Trolley Coach in North America. Los Angeles: Interurbans. pp. 227–228. LCCN 74020367.
  2. Associated Press (November 21, 2014). "Providence's College Hill Tunnel Flooded, Closed". New England Cable News. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  3. Wonson, Richard (1983). The Trackless Trolleys of Rhode Island. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 15–16, 67. OCLC 13058930.
  4. http://www.cable-car-guy.com/html/ccoth.html#pri
  5. http://www.quahog.org/factsfolklore/index.php?id=100


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