A remote Alaskan town home to 265 residents is so isolated that locals must return home before midnight to avoid being locked out.
One of the only ways to reach the sleepy Alaskan town of Whittier, tucked away on the west side of Prince William Sound, is by driving through a one-way tunnel that runs directly beneath a glacier.
But the latest time drivers can enter the tunnel before it closes is 11pm in summer and 10.30pm in winter.
Anyone who wants to reach the small town outside of working hours will have to wait until morning.
Whittier imposes a strict curfew and closes the tunnel nightly using a time control system.
The only ways to get to Whittier, Alaska are by ferry, train, or driving through a one-way tunnel that runs directly beneath a glacier.
The latest time drivers can enter the tunnel before it closes is 11:00 p.m. in summer and 10:30 p.m. in winter.
The span is the longest combined vehicle and rail tunnel in North America and stretches for 2.5 miles, according to Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.
It takes approximately 6 minutes to go through the tunnel if a driver is traveling at 25 miles per hour.
As the tunnel is a one-way street, each time slot is scheduled for 15 minutes, starting at 5.30am in summer and 7am in winter.
Oversized vehicles are even more limited and are only permitted Monday through Thursday.
Another limitation is that cars and the Alaska Railroad Corporation have to take turns. Railroad turnouts are used to divert trains out of the tunnel before it can be opened to highway traffic.
Since the tunnel is a one-way street, 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 cars also have to wait.
He PDATP He wrote that the railway only uses 20% of the available time slots. When they are not in use, tunnel operators can use the extra time slots to let vehicles through during peak hours.
The process of getting through the tunnel is carefully planned. Once a car pays the $13 toll, vehicles line up in a precise order: buses, trucks, cars, and then vehicles with trailers.
The Alaska Railroad can also be a peculiar trip, as there are no rail facilities in Whittier.
The Glacier Discovery Trainoriginating in Anchorage, ‘loads and unloads passengers at a white tented area in front of the cruise terminal and marina.’
Whittier is the Alaska Railroad’s only viable freight interchange point for barge service connecting Alaska to other parts of the United States and Canada. It is vitally important to the state because its deepwater port remains ice-free year-round.
The Whittier Tunnel is the longest combined vehicle and rail tunnel in North America at 2.5 miles.
Pictured: Barry Glacier in Prince William Sound near Whittier, Alaska
The city is 50 miles from the state capital, Anchorage, which is a short distance by Alaska standards.
Whittier’s small population means that most residents live in a single complex, which was originally built as army barracks that served as a “secret” military installation for the U.S. Army during World War II before being converted to residential space in 1974.
The building houses a post office and a grocery store, as well as tunnels leading to schools, laundries and housing.
Visitors can only access the ground floor of the 14-story complex, while the remaining floors are only accessible to residents.
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