| Backwards Tunnel | |
| Location: | Cork Hill Road, 310 feet North of Passaic Avenue intersection, Ogdensburg, New Jersey |
| Coordinates: | 41.0859°N -74.6017°W |
| Built: | 1871 |
| Architect: | Arnold, Justin; Mr. Simpson |
| Architecture: | Double Stone Arch |
| Added: | December 28, 2005 |
| Refnum: | 05001483 |
| Designated Other1 Name: | New Jersey Register of Historic Places |
| Designated Other1 Abbr: | NJRHP |
| Designated Other1 Link: | New Jersey Register of Historic Places |
| Designated Other1 Date: | September 12, 2005 |
| Designated Other1 Number: | 4305[1] |
| Designated Other1 Num Position: | bottom |
| Designated Other1 Color: |
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Backwards Tunnel, also known as the Ogdensburg Railroad Arch, is located in Ogdensburg, Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. The tunnel was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 28, 2005.[2]
The tunnel was built in 1871 by the New Jersey Midland Railway in order to cross the Wallkill Valley. New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway took over control of the tunnel in 1881 when the Midland Railway Line was merged into it. The tunnel was first referenced as the Backwards Tunnel in 1976 because it was thought that the tunnel should have been wider over the road than over the river. Ogdensburg declared the tunnel a borough historic site in 1991. A flood in 2000 which caused two nearby dams to burst damaged the tunnel. A book was published in 2009 about the history of the tunnel.[3]
The tunnel is a double stone arch design and is a 180 feet long. The one arch which Cork Hill Road runs through measures 16 feet wide and 15 feet tall. The other arch which the Wallkill River flows through measures 20 wide and 16 feet tall.[4] The rail line ran on top of the tunnel.