Location Spotlight: I-80 Carlin Tunnels

“The four western portals of the Carlin Tunnel in Elko County, Nevada” by Famartin is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons / Cropped from original

Carlin is a small city in northeast Nevada and the oldest community in Elko County. It is located along Interstate 80 and originally began as a campsite for immigrants and miners in the late 1840s. Carlin is referred to as the “gateway to the world’s largest gold mines” (source). An area known as the Carlin Trend has produced more gold than any other mining district in the U.S. It produces approximately three million ounces of ore annually, making the city’s slogan “Where the Train Stops… and the Gold Rush Begins” very fitting.

The Carlin Tunnels refers to a set of four tunnel bores in Carlin Canyon – two are railroad bores while the other two are highway bores. The purpose of these tunnel bores is to bypass curves of the Humboldt River.

“Full 360-degree panorama from the hill above the Carlin Tunnel in the Carlin Canyon of Elko County, Nevada” by Famartin is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In 2013, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration launched a renovation project to improve the Carlin Tunnels. The project included enhanced roadway drainage and an improved lighting solution to significantly decrease energy consumption while simultaneously providing better visibility through a dynamic dimming system that responds to light levels inside and outside of the tunnels. The new lighting system makes it easier for drivers’ eyes to adjust to traveling through the tunnel by more closely matching the light levels outside of the tunnel instead of utilizing one consistent light level during the day and night. This became the first lighting system of its kind to be implemented in a freeway tunnel in North America.

Other improvements made to the Carlin Tunnels included:

• Adding new concrete near tunnel entrances
• Rehabilitating and seismically retrofitting eight bridges through Carlin Canyon
• Adding a new bicycle path
• Implementing a new intelligent transportation system with monitoring cameras and an upgraded weather warning system
• And more! For more details, visit Q&D Construction, Inc’s Carlin Tunnel Rehabilitation Project page and the Innovator publication

The Carlin Tunnels are cleaned regularly every year, and this year, cleaning was completed ahead of schedule on April 19, 2017.

If you are looking for a one-of-a-kind tunnel to use in your next film / television production or commercial shoot, be sure to check out the recently renovated I-80 Carlin Tunnels. It offers a unique filming backdrop that is sure to inspire creativity in lighting, angles, and mood!

For more pictures, you can view the full I-80 Carlin Tunnels filming location details here and don’t forget to register your project!

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