Punta Olimpica Tunel is one of the highest tunnels in the world
Located in the east-central region of Ancash of Peru, Punta Olimpica Tunnel is one of the highest vehicular tunnels in the world, at an elevation of 4.735m (15,535ft) above the sea level.
Set high in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range of the Andes, the tunnel is totally paved. Part of Ruta departamental AN-107, it’s 1,384 meters (0.860 miles) long, 7,20 meters wide and 6,5 meters high. Constructed in particularly challenging conditions, the tunnel opened on August 2013. The new road shortened travel time for the roughly 80 km stretch from 9 hours down to about 2.5 hours. It’s open all year round with possible snow closures.
Tucked away within the Huascarán National Park, in north central Peru, the tunnel bypassed the infamous and dangerous Punta Olimpica Old Road. Due to the construction of the new tunnel, the old road is no longer maintained with plenty of fallen boulders sitting in the middle of the path and the road subsiding in places.
Pic: Henry Wiley Luna Castillo