Wilkes Street Tunnel

The Orange and Alexandria Railroad was set up in 1848 and three years later they had reached the riverside on the west bank of the Potomac River using the Wilkes Street tunnel. That enabled rail traffic from the rest of the system to run down the slope to the wharves and warehouses in Old Town, Alexandria. The tunnel still exists and is of cut-and-cover stone wall construction. It was used by the Union troops in the American Civil War to equip their army in Virginia.

The tunnel was closed to rail traffic in 1975 and the tracks were removed. It now provides a recreational path for walkers and cyclists linked to a riverside trail. A plaque attached to the sidewall at the tunnel entrance explains its history in some detail. It is one of very few surviving reminders of Alexandria’s former importance as a rail centre.