A reporter for The Oaklandside takes a walking trip with the Oakland Heritage Alliance: Touring the Posey Tube, a 100-year-old engineering feat connecting Oakland and Alameda
Engineered by George Posey, the Posey Tube was the widest in the world and it was built using an innovative method. Most tunnels back then were constructed from a steel shell later filled with concrete. To build the Posey Tube, construction crews floated concrete tunnel pieces on a barge in the estuary to precise locations before sinking and connecting them. Only London, New York, and Philadelphia had large tunnels built this way back then.
The portals were designed by architect Henry Meyers, who’s known for designing Highland Hospital, the Veterans Memorial Building, and the Caldecott Tunnel as well. The quintessential Art Deco Oakland portal structure “was kind of an influencer of this area,” said Levy, inspiring stylish modernist buildings to be constructed nearby.
I don't think there are many of the stylish modernist buildings left.
Sadly, there are no pictures from the control center part of the tunnel infrastructure ("Caltrans did not allow us to take photos inside the portal").
The Oaklandside article now becomes the second most famous article about Alameda's tunnels.
No comments:
Post a Comment