[OrangeHoof]

I remember the Eisenhower Tunnel when I lived in Colorado. Who is Johnson and how did his name get attached to this?

[Mom MD]

Eisenhower is westbound and Johnson eastbound or vice verse not sure which is which

[gas_dr]

Although my Colorado history is somewhat rusty I believe that Edwin C Johnson was the governor at the time the tunnel opened bearing his name. Originally the tunnel was a single bore and two lanes. It alternated direction based on time of the hour. Carrying interstate traffic to two lanes became a non starter as summit county boomed because of the easy access with the tunnel so a second bore was constructed parallel and immediately south to the original bore. The westbound lanes retain the name Eisenhower (I believe in deference to the Eisenhower interstate system) and the eastbound lanes were named the Edwin C Johnson tunnel.

[BluH2o]

I remember the Eisenhower Tunnel when I lived in Colorado. Who is Johnson and how did his name get attached to this?

The Eisenhower Tunnel was the first of the two tunnels, the Johnson bore was second and opened several years later.