Henry E Kinney Tunnel

This tunnel is as it should be. I know the FTL airport got jealous and tried to build their own, but it can’t be equaled. If you think driving it is fun, windows down, intermittent locals honking, then I would suggest you do it on a bicycle. The odds that a pedestrian is on the walkthrough on the northbound side, or better, another cyclist, is all part of the fun that is truly unique to Ft. Lauderdale. Remember to hold your breath, you’re going under water.

Well, I have to give it five stars based on Dawn E’s review alone, because she is one of my my best friend bishes… though every time I drive into this tunnel I have a mini panic attack about how flooded it may become in the midst of a terrible rainstorm and then all my zombie fears come at me full force. Because that’s what tunnels are made for. Scaring people.

I’ve been using the tunnel for more than 30 years, and it has consistently been a down then up expierience. I particularly like heading South Just as a large yacht motors
over… I’ve even recognized friends sailboats, just from looking at their masts!!!
The one sad thing is that the old tradition of honking your horn while transiting the bridge is dying out … Do your part, make some NOISE!!!
You can recognize me as I always go:
Toot, toot, TOOOOOOOOT, toot, toot…

It was pretty busy on this Sunday evening but we were still able to get an excellent spot with hardly a wait. I didn’t care for the other patrons — BMW and Mercedes drivers, you know the type — but we were able to keep our distance and enjoy the cozy atmosphere relatively undisturbed. Will definitely (have no choice but) be back!

First of all, I see Marqus R has 50 Check Ins here!!! ARE YOU CHECKING IN AND DRIVING MARQUS?! haha
So as I was driving through the Kinney today I thought, wow… I think this might be the only tunnel down here? A little research will say YES, it is. It is also only one of three underwater tunnels in Florida — the other two? IN DISNEY WORLD. That’s like… not even fair right? Disney is another world… so I’ll go ahead and officially claim this as the only underwater tunnel in all of Florida. We will keep the claim till Downtown Miami completes their port tunnel — you never let us have ANYTHING Miami!
It was at one point called the New River Tunnel — it was renamed after it closed down and Henry Kinney advocated its construction. He was — at the time — the cheif of the Broward edition of the Miami Herald.
The tunnel keeps US1 going and dives underneath Las Olas Blvd (our most famous street in the BPB) and pops back up after cruising under the river.
Thanks HEK Tunnel for making our drive so much better.

I’ve been here many times, and the quality of service has always been impeccable. Never once have I entered this establishment without happily exiting the other side. Sometimes I’ll use the north entrance, and sometimes the south. Always the same predictable experience. Even as a kid, I’d visit on my bicycle. It seemed to take a bit longer back then, but never did a New River drop land on my brow. I’ll definitely recommend to friends and come back myself.

This is the best tunnel in South Florida. Bar none. Also, and this is a true story, these Kinney’s are kin. If my grandfather wasn’t an evil horrible disownable bigot I’d probably be really rich right now.

Seriously Unilocalers, we have resorted to Unilocaling tunnels now? Really? Did we run out of restaurants, or what? OK fine, I too shall Unilocal the tunnel. And a mighty fine tunnel it is, because if this were still a drawbridge, traffic would be hell, thereby preventing us from getting to THE RESTAURANTS on Las Olas! Oh, and Kinney, BTW, was a journalist who worked for The Herald. He was the guy who started the petition to get the tunnel built. (Thanks, dude!) Oh, and one more thing… some people say that since his death, the tunnel is haunted! OK, so we might not have destination casinos, but we have a possibly haunted tunnel!

I was thrilled to see a Unilocal Out about this, the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel, as it is so often overlooked, but being the only public highway tunnel within the entire State of Florida (until the billion dollar plus cost plus billion or so cost overrun Miami Tunnel is completed), makes it a real standout within what is otherwise a drawbridge city.
It really is a part of our local flavor and nice, though somewhat embarrassing that it took an out of town Unilocaler, to have it brought to our local attention.

The only public road tunnel in the entire state of Florida (there are two private ones in Disney and there will be another in the Port of Miami in a couple of years), this was originally named the New River Tunnel when construction completed in 1960. It was renamed in 1986 after Mr. Kinney, who had been a huge advocate for its construction when he was chief of the Fort Lauderdale edition of the Miami Herald. According to news reports and various references, the traffic for the draw bridge that was replaced by the tunnel was horrendous back in those days, and that’s even without the much higher modern traffic level.
With a total length of 864 feet and 14 feet of clearance under the water at low tide, there are two lanes in each direction, north and south. It is just long enough that you can hold your breath as you go under. Or what my wife and daughter like to do, hold a shout and see who can last the longest («Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!»). The trick is to silently hyperventilate for about a quarter mile and don’t let anyone see you doing it.
You can’t miss the tunnel on Federal Highway in downtown Fort Lauderdale. And you sure do miss it when it’s being repaired to patch leaks or have the tile walls cleaned. The alternate routes on Andrews Avenue and SE 3^rd are a major pain in the gas tank!