The Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel is a 1.63-kilometre-long (1.01 mi) car tunnel under the Suez Canal at Shallufa. The tunnel is named after Ahmed Hamdi, an Egyptian engineer and general killed in action during the October 1973 War. It has two lanes of traffic, one in each direction, and it connects the Asian Sinai Peninsula to the town of Suez on the African mainland.[1]
Construction
It was originally constructed as a shield tunnel by Tarmac Construction in November 1981.[2] In 1992, the Japanese government granted aid to a project aimed at rehabilitating the tunnel which had developed leaks. It is 1.63 kilometres (1.01 mi) long and has an outside diameter of 11.6 metres (38 ft).[3] The tunnel reaches a maximum depth of 51 metres (167 ft) below ground level.[4][5]