Havana Tunnel

Tunnel in Havana, Cuba

23°09′03″N 82°21′17″W / 23.150708°N 82.354717°W / 23.150708; -82.354717Construction started1957OpenedMay 31, 1958CostUS$28.5 millionOwnerCuban government (contested)^[a]^[2]^[3]Technical detailsStructural systemImmersed tube tunnelMaterialReinforced concreteDesign and constructionDeveloperCompania de Fomento del Túnel de la Habana, S.A.EngineerJosé Menéndez MenéndezMain contractorGrands Travaux de Marseille

Havana Tunnel is a route under the Havana Bay, built by the French company Societé de Grand Travaux de Marseille between 1957-58.^[4]^[5] The president of the Republic Fulgencio Batista planned to expand the city to Habana del Este with a new suburb, and a new connection between Havana Vieja and the east side across Havana Bay was required.

The tunnel extends from the Paseo de Prado, is 733 m long and 12 m below ground level. It takes a driver 45 seconds traveling at a speed of 60 km/h to traverse the tunnel. In the 1970s the new suburb of Alamar in East Havana was built with the aid of the former Soviet Union. The new suburb was composed of Soviet-style concrete buildings, with no city center or character.

Gallery

Havana Bay Tunnel entrance from the west
Havana Bay Tunnel entrance from East Havana
Construction of entrance to Havana Tunnel

Notes

^ This theft of private property led the U.S. into severing diplomatic relations in 1961 and installing the trade embargo and various sanctions against Cuba. "Thousands of Americans and Cuban citizens suffered humiliation and financial distresses of having their private property stolen from them, some of them at gunpoint. Today there has been no justice for that their claims."^[1]

References

^ "HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE of the COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION". Retrieved 2020-02-25.
^ "Trump Administration Authorizes Lawsuits Against Companies That Deal in Property Confiscated by the Cuban Government and Tightens Other Sanctions Against Cuba". Retrieved 2022-05-12.
^ "US Allows Lawsuits Relating to "Trafficking" in Confiscated Property in Cuba". Retrieved 2022-05-12.
^ "Havana Tunnel". Retrieved 2020-01-10.
^ "Havana's Tunnel". Archived from the original on 2018-06-27. Retrieved 2020-01-10.

External links

Havana bay tunnel: an engineering jewel and a symbol of identity of the Cuban capital on YouTube
Havana Tunnel and Malecon drive by on YouTube
Construccion del Tunel de la Habana 1953 on YouTube

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tunnel de La Habana.

Places adjacent to Havana Tunnel

Straits of Florida

Old Havana

Habana del Este

Santa Cruz del Norte (Mayabeque)
Jaruco (Mayabeque)

Regla, Guanabacoa, San José de las Lajas (Mayabeque)

Havana landmarks

Buildings

Government	El Capitolio Palacio de los Capitanes Generales Palacio del Segundo Cabo Cuartel de Milicias
Fortifications	La Cabaña Castillo de la Real Fuerza Castillo San Salvador de la Punta Morro Castle Castillo del Príncipe Torreón de la Chorrera Santa Clara Battery Batería de la de la Reina^† Torreón de San Lázaro^† Castillo de Atarés
Banks	Bank of Nova Scotia^† Royal Bank of Canada^†
Education	Colegio de Belén^† Candler College and Colegio Buenavista^† Colegio Nacional de Arquitectos de Cuba Escuela Latinoamericana de Ciencias Médicas Instituto Técnico Militar University of Havana
Entertainment	Bandstand of el Prado^† Coliseo de la Ciudad Deportiva Sans Souci Cabaret^† Club Náutico José Martí Anti-Imperialist Platform Oriental Park Racetrack^† Radiocentro CMQ Building Havana Jai alai^† Tropicana Club
Food and drink	Modelo Brewery^† Bacardí Building Floridita Heladería Coppelia Sloppy Joe's Bodeguita del Medio
Hospitals	Maternidad Obrera de Marianao Carlos J. Finlay Military Hospital Havana Psychiatric Hospital Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital Hospital de San Lázaro^†
Hotels	Hotel Pasaje^† Hotel San Carlos^† Hotel Saratoga Hotel Perla de Cuba^† Royal Palm Hotel Rosita De Hornedo Hotel Hotel Ambos Mundos Hotel NH Capri La Habana Hotel Deauville Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana Hotel Habana Riviera by Iberostar Hotel Inglaterra Hotel Nacional de Cuba Hotel Plaza Hotel Sevilla Hotel Tryp Habana Libre Meliá Cohiba Hotel
Infrastructure	Acueducto de Albear Havana Tunnel Royal Shipyard of Havana^†
Museums	Museo de Artes Decorativas Museo del Aire^† Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana Museo Napoleónico Museo de la Revolución
Religious	Abdallah Mosque Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís Temple Beth Shalom Catedral de La Habana Iglesia de Jesús de Miramar Iglesia del Espíritu Santo Iglesia de San Francisco de Paula Iglesia Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje Iglesia de Santa María del Rosario San Carlos and San Ambrosio Seminary Casa de Beneficencia y Maternidad^† Our Lady of Kazan Orthodox Cathedral Seminario Teológico Adventista Nuestra Señora de Belén Hermitage of the Catalans, Havana
Theatres	Coliseo of Havana^† Gaia Gran Teatro de La Habana Teatro Amadeo Roldán Teatro Hubert de Blanck Teatro Karl Marx Teatro Martí Teatro Miramar Teatro Nacional Teatro Tacón^†
Transport	Central Railway Station Ciudad Libertad Airport José Martí International Airport Managua Airport
Other buildings	Palacio de Aldama Palacio de la Marquesa de Villalba FOCSA Building La Mansión de Mark Pollack^† Lonja del Comercio López Serrano Building National Library José Martí Edificio del Seguro Médico Plaza del Vapor^† Villa Marista

Monuments

Memorials	El Templete Antonio Maceo monument José Martí Memorial USS Maine monument Memorial to the Soviet Internationalist Soldier Monumento El Cacahual
Sculptures	Christ of Havana Fuente de la India Fuente de los Leones

Areas

Natural	Almendares River Havana Harbor Caleta de San Lazaro^†
Neighborhoods	Arroyo Naranjo Barrio de San Lázaro Boyeros (Calabazar, Santiago de las Vegas and Wajay Cayo Hueso Centro Habana Cerro Cotorro Diez de Octubre (La Víbora) Guanabacoa Marianao Habana del Este (Alamar, Cojímar and Guanabo) Habana Vieja La Lisa (Punta Brava) Plaza de la Revolución (Vedado) Playa (Miramar, Puentes Grandes and Santa Fe) Regla (Casablanca) San Miguel del Padrón (Diezmero)
Squares, parks, and gardens	Paseo de Tacón Amphitheatre of Old Havana Quinta de los molinos La Alameda de Paula Parque Central Parque de la Fraternidad (formerly Campo de Marte} Paseo del Prado John Lennon Park Plaza de la Catedral Plaza de la Revolución Plaza de San Francisco de Asís Plaza Vieja
Streets	Obispo Street La Rampa Malecón Calle Monserrate Calle Zulueta
Urbanism	Havana Plan Piloto Arco de Belén, Havana
Cemeteries	Colon Cemetery Espada Cemetery^†
^† closed