Devils Slide Bypass Tunnel

I KNOW this tunnel needed to happen. But *kicks feet*… I used to take the drive down the coastal highway down to Half Moon Bay at least once a week for the views at sunset before it was constructed.
And those views were surreal.
I guess it’s better to, oh, stay alive than die over a good view because the ground went crumbling underneath me as I sat in my car. but still.
*whine*
Glad you can still find a spot to park your car and walk down the path for the pretty views, though.

Boring. And not the machines used to drill the holes. Yeah, I get it that the populace voted for the tunnel and that Devil’s Slide continually washed out. It’s just a one-​lane tunnel in both directions. Nuff said.

This tunnel is long overdue. For the locals this is a vital connection. No more rock slides! That alone garnered it an almost five stars from me.
I’m torn giving it four stars. Because it really has good attributes to it in addition to the above. It’s wide. Well lit. Pretty unusual looking mouth makes it unique. The view when you come out of the tunnel is amazing to say the least. I don’t mind that it is short. I’d rather do my driving out of a tunnel than in anyways. The shorter it is the faster I come out! This is a one directional design flow. It is my preferred tunnel. It’s much much safer!
But the Emergency Lane and the Emergency Phone should be on the same side. You almost have to die crossing the other side just to use the emergency phone. To me that’s a cuckoo idea!
If you’re reading this and you know the reasoning for this let me know and I’ll be very glad to change my rating.

I drove through this tunnel for the first time yesterday. Wow, probably the coolest tunnel I’ve ever driven through. As others have said, plenty of lighting, room to drive, high curved ceilings and turbine fans every 20 to 30 feet circulating the air. What a great idea. I wonder if there’s a way to incorporate the fans into existing tunnels? They did an excellent job with these tunnels, complete with the «fake rock» just past the south end of the tunnel. I’ll miss the hairpin turns of Devil’s Slide, but I won’t miss the road being closed due to another storm-​induced washout. The tunnel at the south end did have a sigh saying «signal ahead,» which was good. Perhaps that’s been added more recently.
What keeps my review from being 5 stars is yes the emergency exit being on one side and the emergency phones on the other side. So if you get stranded, you have to walk across the highway to get to them. Silly CALtrans.

It is bi-​directional tunnel, which means it takes traffic in both diections. There is pretty green trimmed foliage on the outside leading to the tunnel.

Only one lane for cars plus a lane for bicycles, so no need to worry about other traffic merging into your lane. High curved ceiling, plenty of lighting, good visibility.
Use caution heading south at certain times of day. The south end of the tunnel faces the ocean and the sun on water can be blinding. There was a neon sign which said 45 mph near the end of the tunnel and I could barely see it.
There is also a traffic light just outside the tunnel on the south end that I did NOT expect (no signs anywhere in the tunnel to say «there’s going to be a traffic light».) Good thing it was green as I was nearly on it before I saw it.
The traffic light is for pedestrians and bicyclists who want to access the old road over Devil’s Slide/​I’ve been told that the green lights inside the tunnel are meant to change to amber if the traffic light is changing (yeah, I saw those green lights. My thought was «interesting. I wonder why green? Perhaps those lights mark the door ways into the central bore…» It NEVER ONCE occurred to me that green lights in a tunnel would indicate a traffic light at the other end!
Heading north through the other bore, there are also green lights in the tunnel but no traffic light on the other side. Heading north, you ome out onto the bridge (impressive!). Watch out for the pedestrian crosswalk just north of the bridge!
All in all, a handsome tunnel and a much safer experience driving from the upper Peninsula to Half Moon Bay. I would have preferred more traditional signage and warnings (flashing lights around a diamond-​shaped sign) to let me know there was a traffic light and pedestrian crossing, however.

The best tunnel I’ve been through. A wide lane for bicycling, plenty of exhaust fans, and wonderful lighting. The southbound approach is narrower than one would like climbing up the hill, and I’m not sure that rumble strips encourage giving cyclists enough room.

Yep – pretty darn cool & modern. Could use a bit of color (art?) on the inside.

I’m butthurt that driving through Devil’s Slide is no longer a possibility. But then again, it was never all that much fun anyway because you almost always got stuck behind someone boring who was terrified of the curves and drove like 30mph the whole time.
The new tunnel is pretty cool, but not as spectacular and fun as I thought it would be. But it’s nice and wide and spacious so you don’t feel all claustrophobic. It’s shorter than I expected (that’s what she said) and kind of a letdown after all the anticipation. Oh well. It’s still pretty rad to be driving through a freaking mountain and once again, if you don’t get stuck behind someone slow, it’s fun to zip through.
One funny thing a friend of mine pointed out: Which side is the emergency lane on? The right side. Which side are the emergency PHONES located on? The left side. CALTRANS LOGIC.

The Devil’s Slide tunnels are finally open! The actual name of the tunnels is Tom Lantos Tunnels at Devil’s Slide.
I have been watching construction on these tunnels for years! Nice entrances are both ends and both are unique. Great views of the ocean and coastside before you enter the tunnels. Tall and relatively straight tunnels allow for a strain through view as you drive through. Separate tunnels for each direction to keep the noise down. Enough room for two lanes in each direction.
Best of all, no more Devil’s Silde road closures!
See my pics!

(in a Barry White voice) Ooohhh yeah, that’s right, baby. I like to go deep, both ways…
Pardon me but when thinking of what to write for this review, the dual, long tunnels of the Devil’s Slide Bypass inspired a little double entendre.
To the people of all the neighboring communities, the Devil’s Slide Tunnels (officially named the Tom Lantos Tunnels) are a Godsend. For me, it’s a bittersweet but necessary change. I’ll miss ripping that precarious curve dangling high above the Pacific at completely inadvisable speeds in my wicked quick roadster.
But as the times have changed, I suppose I have too. I don’t drift as often or spend as much time at triple digit speeds on public roads as I used to. & just like how these tunnels are replacing the road along Devil’s Slide, it’s all not as exciting as the past but it is for the better.
Devil’s Slide may be gone, but at least there will always be the memories of adrenalin-​fueled exhilaration. Plus there’s the bonus of still being able to actually drive Highway 1 between Pacifica & Montara after a major storm. Besides, nearby Skyline Blvd, La Honda Rd, Pescadero Rd & Highway 9 still have plenty of curves.
With the new tunnels, the future of driving at Devil’s Slide is all about automotive spelunking. So get ready to go deep, both ways.
*** Trivia Alert! ***
The Tom Lantos Tunnels are officially the 2^nd & 3^rd longest tunnels in California. Yosemite’s Wawona Tunnel is the #1 longest tunnel in California.
Having now gone through all 3, it is safe to say that I do like to go deep.