The tunnels are 0.27 miles (430 m) long each, cutting through Wheeling Hill, and each carries two lanes of Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 250.

Reconstruction of the tunnel, originally planned to take a total of 6 months, took over three years to complete between 2007 and 2010, at a cost of $13.7 million.

[8] Several workers became ill after being exposed to high amounts of carbon monoxide fumes, which brought construction to a halt in 1964 until ventilation fans were installed.

[10] After the issues with the reconstruction work, local politicians suggested closing the tunnels altogether, and to just build the freeway over Wheeling Hill,[11] however after opposition from the NAACP and other groups,[12] the suggestions were dropped.

[15] The westbound tube was closed in February 2010,[16] and opened a month ahead of schedule in September 2010.