Northbrae Tunnel
Encyclopedia
The Northbrae Tunnel, also referred to as the Solano Avenue
Tunnel, was built as a commuter electric railroad tunnel in the northern part of Berkeley, California
and was later converted to street use.
In 1910. the Southern Pacific Railroad
(SP) was electrifying its steam-engine drawn ferry-train line (to San Francisco) from Oakland Pier via Shattuck Avenue to Vine Street in Berkeley and extending it north along the base of the Berkeley Hills
to newly developing neighborhoods of Berkeley at Northbrae and Thousand Oaks
. The route chosen was adjacent to Henry Street and then on Sutter Street to Northbrae at the intersection of Hopkins and Sutter Streets. At this point a ridge carrying Marin and Los Angeles Avenues blocked the way. After investigating (1) a route around the ridge and (2) a cut through the ridge with bridges over it, it was decided to use the route of the cut but make it a tunnel instead, under Marin and Los Angeles Avenues just west of their intersection with The (Marin) Circle. The cut-and-cover method of tunnel construction was used. The excess soil was used to elevate the railroad right-of-way adjacent to Henry Street so that a bridge could be put in over Eunice Street and the right-of-way would go over a culvert containing Codornices Creek
. The tunnel curved to the west so that the railroad could continue through a small canyon to the intersection of Solano Avenue and The Alameda and then to Thousand Oaks station at Solano and Colusa Avenues.
The railroad was completed in 1911 and inspection trains were run at the end of that year, with service beginning January 1, 1912.
The SP ferry-train service was changed to bridge-train service operated by its subsidiary, Interurban Electric Railway
(IER) across the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge in December, 1939. The IER ended service July 26, 1941, but the tracks in Berkeley were made available to the Key System
, which extended service to Hopkins and Sutter Streets (the stop formerly called Northbrae) beginning August 6, 1941. Service was extended through the tunnel to a new terminal at Solano Avenue and the Alameda on December 6, 1942. All bridge-train service ended on April 20, 1958.
The tunnel was subsequently converted to city-street use in 1963 by extending Solano Avenue from The Alameda along the former railroad right-of-way through the tunnel to align with Sutter Street.
Solano Avenue
Solano Avenue in Berkeley and Albany, California is a two mile long east-west street. Solano Avenue is one of the larger shopping districts in the Berkeley area...
Tunnel, was built as a commuter electric railroad tunnel in the northern part of Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
and was later converted to street use.
In 1910. the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
(SP) was electrifying its steam-engine drawn ferry-train line (to San Francisco) from Oakland Pier via Shattuck Avenue to Vine Street in Berkeley and extending it north along the base of the Berkeley Hills
Berkeley Hills
The Berkeley Hills are a range of the Pacific Coast Ranges that overlook the northeast side of the valley that surrounds San Francisco Bay. They were previously called the "Contra Costa Range/Hills" , but with the establishment of Berkeley and the University of California, the current usage was...
to newly developing neighborhoods of Berkeley at Northbrae and Thousand Oaks
Thousand Oaks, Berkeley, California
Thousand Oaks is a neighborhood of Berkeley in Alameda County, California. Located at the base of the Berkeley Hills, it lies at an elevation of 239 feet .The principal shopping area is Solano Avenue, along the southern edge of the neighborhood...
. The route chosen was adjacent to Henry Street and then on Sutter Street to Northbrae at the intersection of Hopkins and Sutter Streets. At this point a ridge carrying Marin and Los Angeles Avenues blocked the way. After investigating (1) a route around the ridge and (2) a cut through the ridge with bridges over it, it was decided to use the route of the cut but make it a tunnel instead, under Marin and Los Angeles Avenues just west of their intersection with The (Marin) Circle. The cut-and-cover method of tunnel construction was used. The excess soil was used to elevate the railroad right-of-way adjacent to Henry Street so that a bridge could be put in over Eunice Street and the right-of-way would go over a culvert containing Codornices Creek
Codornices Creek
Codornices Creek , long, is one of the principal creeks which runs out of the Berkeley Hills in the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. In its upper stretch, it passes entirely within the city limits of Berkeley, and marks the city limit with the adjacent city of Albany in...
. The tunnel curved to the west so that the railroad could continue through a small canyon to the intersection of Solano Avenue and The Alameda and then to Thousand Oaks station at Solano and Colusa Avenues.
The railroad was completed in 1911 and inspection trains were run at the end of that year, with service beginning January 1, 1912.
The SP ferry-train service was changed to bridge-train service operated by its subsidiary, Interurban Electric Railway
East Bay Electric Lines
The East Bay Electric Lines were a unit of the Southern Pacific Railroad which operated a system of electric interurban-type trains in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
(IER) across the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge in December, 1939. The IER ended service July 26, 1941, but the tracks in Berkeley were made available to the Key System
Key System
The Key System was a privately owned company which provided mass transit in the cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, San Leandro, Richmond, Albany and El Cerrito in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area from 1903 until 1960, when the system was sold to a newly formed public...
, which extended service to Hopkins and Sutter Streets (the stop formerly called Northbrae) beginning August 6, 1941. Service was extended through the tunnel to a new terminal at Solano Avenue and the Alameda on December 6, 1942. All bridge-train service ended on April 20, 1958.
The tunnel was subsequently converted to city-street use in 1963 by extending Solano Avenue from The Alameda along the former railroad right-of-way through the tunnel to align with Sutter Street.