The Lytle Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel

Tunnel

A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...

 that carries Interstate 71

Interstate 71

Interstate 71 is an Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes/Midwestern and Southeastern region of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64 and Interstate 65 in Louisville, Kentucky. Its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 in Cleveland,...

 under the historic Lytle Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is a six-lane tunnel with three tubes. There is a two lane southbound tube, a three lane northbound tube, and a one lane southbound tube that separates from the highway and serves as an exit ramp to the downtown. The tunnel is ventilated by two grates in the northbound tube and the southbound exiting tube. It was completed in 1970. At 335 meters (1100 ft), it is the longest vehicular tunnel in Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

. It is also the only tunnel on Interstate 71.

During the construction of the Lytle Tunnel many historic buildings were razed for the project. The old Lytle Park was like a town square, with many Greek Revival buildings surrounding the park. On the park's east side is the well known Taft Museum of Art

Taft Museum of Art

The Taft Museum of Art is a house museum in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. The building which houses the museum was built as a villa on the edge of Cincinnati about 1820 for Martin Baum and then was the residence of Nicholas Longworth. David Sinton lived in the house with his daughter Anna, who...

. A few of the original buildings remain, including the Literary Club of Cincinnati

Literary Club of Cincinnati

The Literary Club of Cincinnati is located at 500 East Fourth Street, across from Lytle Park in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. The club occupies a two story Greek Revival house, which was built in 1820. On the site of the home of William Sargent, secretary of the Northwest Territory...

, the Ann Louise Inn, Gilford School and the Phelps Apartments.

A CB radio broadcast on channel 19, the most commonly used commercial trucking frequency, loops a warning about this turn and its hazards 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

History

During a period between January 2001 and May 2003, the tunnel was notorious for many truck accidents in the tunnel. The two main reasons for this were:

• Truck drivers were not obeying the 40 mi/h warning signs at the beginning of the tubes.
• There was a sharp curve near and in the tunnel.

In May 2003, the Ohio Department of Transportation

Ohio Department of Transportation

The Ohio Department of Transportation is the organization of state government responsible for developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the state of Ohio with exception of the Ohio Turnpike. In addition to highways, the department also helps develop public transportation and...

installed radar detectors in the ends of the tunnel that would show the posted speed for trucks, and the actual speed of the vehicle.