Annette Lantos couldn't keep herself from crying yesterday as she helped open the tunnels at Devil's Slide -- nearly 32 years after her late husband secured the first $50 million in federal funding to bypass the dangerous stretch of highway south of Pacifica.
The Tom Lantos Tunnels at Devil's Slide were scheduled to open to traffic late last night but not before a host of dignitaries were invited to the coast in the morning to celebrate the grand opening of Caltrans' $439 million twin tunnel project.
Construction started on the project in 2006 after Lantos, first elected to Congress in 1981, secured emergency federal funding to construct a bypass for Devil's Slide on Highway 1, which would close often as the road would sometimes collapse during bad weather.
In 1995, the slide closed for 158 days and a year later county voters overwhelming passed Measure T, which called for constructing tunnels rather than carve up Montara Mountain for a new highway.
"He was a young freshman congressman when he secured the $50 million for the project. The idea for a tunnel was just in the imagination then but now it is fully realized. I'm happy but very sad I can't share it with Tom," Lantos told the Daily Journal as she held back tears.
Her daughter, Annette Lantos Tillemann-Dick sat by her side yesterday before her mother gave a short speech to about 500 in attendance.
"I think dad is extremely ecstatic and is looking on with great delight," Tillemann-Dick told the Daily Journal. "It's a tribute to those people who have persisted."
She wasn't the only one crying, however, as Moss Beach resident Zoe Kersteen-Tucker also shed a tear yesterday as she shared her story about the citizen-led initiative that brought the tunnels to life.
She, along with Lennie Roberts and April Vargas, were praised repeatedly yesterday for leading a grassroots effort to push the state Department of Transportation away from constructing a new highway over the mountain.
U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer was also praised for getting the stretch of highway deemed a continuing federal emergency, which helped secure more funding for the project.
It was a chilly morning yesterday but not too cold for some people to dress in costume for the occasion. One woman wore a red and yellow mask and cape and called herself Captain Tunnel and another fellow dressed as the devil -- who later would be seen riding in a vintage car in a parade through the south tunnel.
Soon, the slide itself will close and be transformed into a county park with trails.
"This is going to preserve one of the nicest areas on the California coast," said Don Horsley, president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.
The new tunnels will hopefully bring more tourists to the coast, said Half Moon Bay Mayor Rick Kowalczyk, who was shivering in the cold as he spoke.
"The chamber wants to remind us that just a few miles south it is sunny and 77 degrees," he said as a thin blanket of fog blocked out the sun.
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Half Moon Bay Vice Mayor John Muller was also in attendance and wore a special tie for the occasion.
It was one Tom Lantos gave to him 27 years ago as Muller visited his congressional office in Washington, D.C.
Muller never wore the tie until yesterday.
"He was so gracious," Muller said about Lantos. "I have special memories of Tom and this is one more."
Many spoke at yesterday's ceremony including U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, state. Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, and Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco.
"It's a testament to the power of the ballot," Speier said about the passage of Measure T in 1996.
The new park will also give Pacifica a new tourist attraction, Speier said.
Each of the twin 4,200-foot-long tunnels is about 45 feet tall and just under 30 feet wide. The debris from the tunnels filled a disposal site equivalent the size of a football field, 150 feet deep and Caltrans essentially constructed a new mountain on the south side of the tunnels with all the debris where a maintenance center will be hidden away from view.
The project is at least a year behind schedule and $100 million over budget but Pacifica resident Mike Mooney told the Daily Journal that the cost will soon be "forgotten."
The new county park will provide one of the most "stunning views" of the Pacific Ocean anywhere in the world, said Pacifica Mayor Len Stone, who was a teenager when Measure T passed.
He praised the concerned citizens who turned into advocates to help preserve Montara Mountain by pushing for a tunnel.
"Hallelujah. This day is finally here," Stone said to a cheering crowd.
The ceremony ended with a parade featuring vintage cars led by a Model-T with a license plate that reads "THNK TNL."
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