Former West Virginia Turnpike Tunnel Is Now A Military Training Area

There’s a tunnel through Paint Creek Mountain in Kanawha county that was once part of the West Virginia turnpike, but now only a small selection of people ever see it.

The Memorial Tunnel served as part of the West Virginia Turnpike from 1954-1987.

Flickr/Boston Public Library

As traffic through the area increased, the tunnel created a bottleneck and caused traffic delays.

Flickr/Boston Public Library

The government built a bypass, and the tunnel was closed to the public.

WikiMedia Commons/Airman 1st Class Nesha Humes

It now serves as the Center for National Response, a training area for military and emergency responders.

WikiMedia Commons/Cpl. Chris Stone

The practice areas in the tunnel include a rubble area that simulates collapsed buildings, a bombed subway station, a 50-car pileup wreck with hazardous materials, mock meth labs, and several other dangerous situtions.

WikiMedia Commons/Airman 1st Class Nesha Humes

First responders learn how to safely handle hazardous materials, and rescue people from the rubble.

WikiMedia Commons/Airman 1st Class Nesha Humes

160,000 first responders from all around the country have trained in the tunnel.

WikiMedia Commons/Cpl. Chris Stone

Did you know this place existed in West Virginia?

Flickr/Boston Public Library

WikiMedia Commons/Airman 1st Class Nesha Humes

WikiMedia Commons/Cpl. Chris Stone

If you’d like to see more interesting tunnels in our state, you can try taking this haunted roadtrip.

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