Capra-Bâlea Tunnel
Construction of the tunnel
The second Decision of the Ministers’ Council regarding Transfagarasan implied the connection of the two forest roads (the northern one starting from Glăjerie and the southern one starting from the Vidraru Dam) through a mountain tunnel.
The Capra-Bâlea tunnel has a length of approximately 900 meters and is the longest tunnel in Romania.
The tunnel was built in 1972 and its construction would not have been possible without the involvement of miners and mountain hunters, specialized in climbing. Just for preparing the terracing in order to start the actual work, it was necessary to have approximately 24000 cubic meters of rock dislodged.
For the actual tunnel, approximately 41000 cubic meters of rock were dislodged using 20 tons of TNT. The working conditions were extremely difficult anyway, but the very frequent avalanches, blocking the entry to the tunnel made construction even more difficult.
The tunnel has 4.4 m in height, a circulation lane 6 m wide with a 1 m curb and some pit stop places. It is currently lit, according to the initial construction plan, although for a long period of time illumination was interrupted because of electrical failures that were not fixed.
Entry to the tunnel is done through some large gates allowing access only during summer months. During the winter, the gates are closed and welded to withstand the large pressure differences between the ends of the tunnel. Access in the tunnel outside of working schedule may be done through the pedestrian doors in the gates, as long as the opening of the tunnel is not covered with snow.
