Who would have thought 150 metres of tunnel lighting would hold such a place in the hearts of Canberrans?
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Discovering the lighting of Acton Tunnel on Parkes Way had changed from orange to white during recent upgrades, Canberrans have taken to social media to express their distress - mostly with tongues in cheek.
Posts by Facebook groups My Gungahlin and CanMeme - whose recent targets for faux outrage have been the height of flowerpots in Civic and the unsynchronised traffic lights on Drakeford Drive – have recorded dozens of comments over the weekend complaining about the change.
Comments included "this is a national travesty" and "horrible, just horrible", while some parents have wondered how they would explain the change to their kids.
Many people seemingly have fond childhood memories of driving through one of Canberra's few road tunnels, with its retro vibe winning affection that the brighter, newer Capital Circle tunnel can't match.
George Makowski pledged to "wear an orange arm band next week, in mourning of the lost treasure that was our Orange Tunnel." Another poster asked plaintively, "why must they always change things?".
But, happily, calls for a national day of mourning can be shelved until the next first world problem strikes the capital.
A spokesman for Territory and Municipal Services said the Fanta glow would return soon.
"There are two types of lights; fluorescent (white) and low pressure sodium (orange)," he said.
"The orange low pressure sodium lights will be replaced in the first half of 2013 and the tunnel 'returned' to the original orange colour."
Fans of the tunnel may be interested to know there's a good reason for the colour choice; orange lights produce more light output than white globes.
The Acton Tunnel lights are controlled by ambient lighting devices, which measure the brightness of the day and balance the tunnel's lighting with exterior conditions.
This system will also be upgraded as part of the current works.
This news should hopefully comfort the likes of Jeremy Richter, who, despairing at the apparent colour switch, posed a question only a true local would understand: "What next, bugs bunny is actually an eagle?"
