December 13, 1969
In northeastern Argentina, an underwater road tunnel was officially opened between the provinces of Entre Ríos and Santa Fe. This tunnel, measuring 7,864 feet (2,397 meters) in length, carries National Route 168 across the Paraná River. The tunnel serves as a link between Entre Ríos province’s capital city of Paraná and an area that is 9.3 miles (15 kilometers) from Santa Fe province’s capital city of Santa Fe.
In 1960, a joint treaty authorizing the development of the tunnel was signed by Raúl Uranga, governor of Entre Ríos; and Carlos Sylvestre Begnis, governor of Santa Fe. Construction on the tunnel began on February 3, 1962.
This structure, which became the first major road link crossing the Paraná River between Entre Ríos and Santa Fe, was originally named the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel. Hernandarias (1561-1634), whose full name was actually Hernando Aria de Saavedra, was in charge of two of the Spanish Empire’s governorates in South America. He served as governor of the Governorate of the Rio de la Plata from 1597 to 1599 and again between 1602 and 1609 and then governor of the Governorate of Paraguay from 1615 to 1617. In 2001, the tunnel was renamed the Raúl Uranga-Carlos Sylvestre Begnis Subfluvial Tunnel in honor of the two province governors who signed the treaty that ultimately helped make that tunnel a full-fledged reality.
(The above photo of the tunnel was taken sometime around 1970.)
For more information on the Raúl Uranga-Carlos Sylvestre Begnis Subfluvial Tunnel (originally called the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel), please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%BAl_Uranga_%E2%80%93_Carlos_Sylvestre_Begnis_Subfluvial_Tunnel
A video of this tunnel is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RSXerJb7Ro
Transportation History 
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