Henry E Kinney Tunnel
Federal Highway (U.S. 1) and the New River in Fort Lauderdale
A bridge carrying U.S 1 over Fort Lauderdale's New River opened in August, 1926. As the city grew so did its traffic. At times it took as long as 45 minutes to get from one side of the bridge to the other, causing backups along U.S. 1 and into downtown. It was known as the worst traffic jam in the state.There were discussions in the 1940s, before the explosive growth of the following decade, to replace the Federal Aid Highway Bridge with a tunnel or new bridge. By the early ‘50s battle lines were drawn between advocates for a tunnel, headed by Miami News Broward edition editor Henry E. Kinney, and those for a bridge, led by Fort Lauderdale News owner R.H. Gore. Gore owned property near what would be affected by a right-of-way for the proposed tunnel. For years the debate raged unsettled.
Not until 1958 was the political imbroglio settled by a referendum. By a narrow margin, the tunnel solution won. Work started on what would take 865 days to complete 864 feet of tunnel for $6.5 million - $2 million more than estimated during the early days of the debate. It opened December 9, 1960.
In 1986 the 35-foot deep New River Tunnel was re-named the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel, honoring the man who fought for its construction.
It was once the only vehicular tunnel in Florida but two road tunnels operate at Walt Disney World in Kissimmee. A "tunnel" through a traffic interchange near the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was recently completed and referred to as a tunnel but some may not consider it as such. In August, 2014, a 4,200-ft. undersea tunnel was bored under Biscayne Bay and connects MacArthur Causeway on Watson Island to PortMiami on Dodge Island. It has helped ease downtown Miami truck traffic.
Some still claim Fort Lauderdale's Henry E. Kinney is the only tunnel in Florida. Perhaps for that type of tunnel ...
*Note: Major work on the tunnel, its surrounds and the top, began in September 2021 to make way for an expanded plaza or park on the top. The project was expected to be completed late 2023 but not finished until mid 2024.
Copyright © 2019, 2015, 2022, 2024 All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.
Other sources:
Gillis, Susan. Fort Lauderdale, The Venice of America. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2004.
Weidling, Philip J., Burghard, August. Checkered Sunshine. Gainesville: University of Florida Press (1966).
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