Discover The Longest Tunnel in Rhode Island

Odds are you won’t be traveling through the longest tunnel in Rhode Island any time soon. The East Side Railroad Tunnel began service in 1908 to connect rail traffic from Massachusetts to rail lines serving New York and Connecticut. It runs beneath the College Hill neighborhood on the east side of Providence.

The tunnel handled passenger service until 1937, after which it was used strictly for freight traffic. But as decades passed and more and more traffic moved to the highway system, the East Side Railroad Tunnel gradually fell into disuse.

And in 1981 the tunnel was sealed up permanently.

How Long is the East Side Railroad Tunnel in Rhode Island?

The East Side Railroad Tunnel runs for 5080 feet. That puts the longest tunnel in Rhode Island about 200 feet shy of a mile in length (and making it nearly 2% of the width of the state). The tunnel is 22 feet high and 31 feet wide, reports artinruins.com. When first constructed, the tunnel included two tracks, one of which was electrified for electric train cars. When the tunnel became a freight-only route, one of the tracks was removed. Though the tunnel has been considered for reuse, once in 1997 and again in 2009, no steps were taken toward reactivating it. And so the longest tunnel in Rhode Island remains sealed and abandoned to this day.

Rhode Island Tunnel Trouble!

Despite being sealed up for a decade, in 1993 the west side tunnel entrance was the site of a notorious conflict between local law enforcement and students from nearby colleges, including Brown University, The Rhode Island School of Design, and Rhode Island College. As reported in the Providence Journal, students held a May Day-themed bonfire and party—complete with masks and costumes, according to the report—at the tunnel entrance and inside the tunnel itself. Safety concerns prompted the police to break up the gathering, which had grown to 200-300 students. A clash between police and party-goers led to damaged police cars, the use of billy clubs and pepper gas, and a phalanx of 30 officers sent in to clear the tunnel.

What Is It Like Inside the Tunnel?

In a word: creepy. In a second word: moist. Pictures and videos taken by urban explorers reveal a dark, arched cavern with stalactites dripping from the ceiling and strange mineral deposits rising from the ground. Painted letters and weird images are visible on the walls. A full 29-minute walkthrough video posted in 2017 shows the eastern entrance to be heavily tagged with graffiti. And the tunnel interior is quite waterlogged. Another video reveals elaborate, colorful painted images and words on the walls. A hazy mist hangs in the air, water dripps down along the walls and from the ceiling. If the day does come when the longest tunnel in Rhode Island is once again open for business, somebody will have to do some serious cleaning up first.

Other Rhode Island Tunnels

Not far from the Western entrance of the East Side Railroad Tunnel, you’ll find the similarly named East Side Transit Tunnel. Opened in 1914, this tunnel originally serviced trolley cars, and is still active, currently reserved for bus use only. Anecdotally, both skateboarders and delivery drivers are said to (illegally) use the tunnel as a shortcut from time to time. The Transit Tunnel runs for 2160 feet. A project is in the works to upgrade the bus stops at each end of the tunnel.

Both tunnels will be out-lengthed in the not-too-distant future, though. A decades-long project public works project is a few years away from taking the crown. The Narragansett Bay Commission’s Combined Sewer Overflow project, RestoredWaters RI, is an ongoing effort to improve the state’s water quality. Phases I and II of the project were completed in 2008 and 2014, respectively. According to the commission’s website, the project has already produced dramatic improvements in water quality in upper Narragansett Bay and in Providence’s urban rivers. The stated goal is to comply with the federal Clean Water Act, and return some of Rhode Island’s most vulnerable waterways back to their natural conditions.

Phase III began in 2021, with the use of a tunnel-boring machine to begin construction of the Pawtucket Tunnel. The 2.2-mile long, 30-foot diameter channel, 125 feet underground, will transport storm-related sewage overflow to a wastewater treatment plant. Controlled blasting is also part of the project. The completed tunnel will be able to hold more than 58 million gallons of stormwater. Completion is expected in 2027. The finished project will decrease storm-related discharges by 98%, keeping bacterial pollution out of the local rivers and bay.

Where is the East Side Railroad Tunnel Located on a Map?

The East Side Railroad Tunnel hidden beneath the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island, is a historical railroad tunnel that stretches for 5,080 feet. It spans from Gano Street to just west of Benefit Street, passing under College Hill. It was built in 1908, at a total cost of $2 million.

Here is the East Side Railroad Tunnel on a map:

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Morrow Long / flickr – License / Original