
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 16, 1994                   TAG: 9403160019
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CUMBERLAND GAP, TENN.                                LENGTH: Short

CUMBERLAND GAP TUNNEL TO OPEN IN '96

A tunnel linking Virginia and Tennessee through Cumberland Mountain will open after lights, a ventilation system, pavement and tile are in place.

The Cumberland Gap Tunnel is now open to work vehicles, and officials are aiming for late 1996 to open it to the public. The entire project, expected to cost $250 million, is funded through federal gasoline taxes.

The federal Highway Department and National Park Service are cooperating on the project.

"[This will be the] most modern tunnel system of its kind in the nation once it is opened," said David Ham, of the Highway Department.

There will be two tunnels stretching for almost a mile, each with two lanes.

by CNB