Inside the remote Alaska town that’s so isolated residents must return home every day before 11 PM
A remote Alaskan town of 265 is so isolated that locals must return home before midnight to avoid being locked out.
One of the few ways to reach the sleepy town of Whittier, Alaska, tucked away on the western side of Prince William Sound, is via a one-way tunnel that runs directly beneath a glacier.
But the last time drivers can enter the tunnel before it closes is 11pm in summer and 10.30pm in winter.
If you want to go to town after closing time, you will have to wait until morning.
Whittier has a strict curfew and locks the tunnel every night using a time-keeping system.
The only ways to reach Whittier, Alaska are by ferry, train, or driving through a one-way tunnel that runs directly under a glacier
The last time drivers can enter the tunnel before it closes is 11pm in summer and 10.30pm in winter.
The span is the longest combined vehicle-rail tunnel in North America at 2.5 miles long, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Utilities.
If a driver is driving at 40 kilometers per hour, it takes about 6 minutes to drive through the tunnel.
Because the tunnel is one-way, each time slot is 15 minutes long. In summer, the ride starts at 5:30 and in winter at 7:00.
Even stricter rules apply to large vehicles, which are only allowed from Monday to Thursday.
Another restriction is that cars and the Alaska Railroad Corporation must take turns. Railroad switches are used to divert trains away from the tunnel before it can open to highway traffic.
Since the tunnel is one-way, each time slot is scheduled for 15 minutes – starting at 5:30am in summer and 7am in winter
This means that if a train is delayed, the carriages must also wait.
The ADTPF wrote that only 20% of the time slots are actually used by the railways. When they are not used, tunnel managers can use the extra time slots to let cars through during rush hour.
The process of getting through the tunnel is intricately planned. Once a car has paid the $13 toll, vehicles are lined up in a precise order: buses, trucks, cars, and then vehicles with trailers.
The Alaska Railroad can also be a special ride, as there are no rail facilities in Whittier.
The Glacier Discovery Trainwhich originated in Anchorage, ‘loads and unloads passengers in a white tented area across from the cruise terminal and marina.’
Whittier is the Alaska Railroad’s only viable freight interchange for barge services connecting Alaska to other parts of the United States and Canada. It is vital to the state because of its deep-water harbor that remains ice-free year-round.
The tunnel to Whittier is the longest combined vehicle-rail tunnel in North America, at 2.5 miles
Pictured: Barry Glacier on Prince William Sound near Whittier, Alaska
The city is located 50 miles from Anchorage, which is short by Alaskan standards.
Because Whittier has such a small population, most of the residents live in one complex. The complex was originally built as army barracks and served as a “secret” military facility for the U.S. Army during World War II. In 1974, it was converted to residential housing.
The building houses a post office and a supermarket, and there are tunnels leading to schools, laundries and homes.
Visitors only have access to the ground floor of the 14-storey complex. The remaining floors are only accessible to residents.