Wheels of progress on tunnel to Adventure Park rolling slowly

Wheels of progress on tunnel to Adventure Park rolling slowly

Wheels of progress on tunnel to Adventure Park rolling slowly

The pedestrian and bike tunnel beneath the CSX tracks around Adventure Park, revealed Feb. 17, shows scaffolding becoming used to brace walls and the ceiling. Powell officials had prepared for enhancements this yr, but they possible will not likely come about right until 2023.

Repairing and reopening the pedestrian tunnel below the railroad tracks close to the city’s downtown has proved to be an adventure for Powell metropolis officials.

5 several years after it was shut thanks to crumbling concrete and later reopened with non permanent scaffolding, the Experience Park tunnel continues to be on the city’s to-do listing.

The most recent initiative towards resolution is a deal with Columbus engineering firm GPD Team for selections to rehabilitate the tunnel or give an alternative accessibility from 1 facet of the tracks to the other. Council authorised the contract for $106,747 on June 7.

“I just want to see this project go forward,” council member Frank Bertone mentioned.

Council had place repair of the tunnel out to bid earlier this yr but given that has opted for even more analyze.

City Supervisor Andrew White informed ThisWeek the job stays a precedence for the city.

“From the railroad’s level of check out, it’s a drainage culvert, and as prolonged as it does that, which is all they’re anxious about,” White mentioned. “In 1997, when the town made on the (west) aspect of the tracks, it was transformed into a dual-purpose tunnel for pedestrian and bicycle obtain to (Adventure Park).”

White claimed structural challenges with the tunnel and cascading water are still complications. And scaffolding put in last year as a short term repair continues to be a “safety hazard.”

“Is it very best for the neighborhood to modify what was finished in 1997, to configure additional drainage to retain the tunnel dry? Or could there be other alternatives?” White mentioned concerning the decision going through council.

For each the deal, GPD Team would current alternatives to council in the tumble, placing any function on the tunnel on the city’s 2023 capital-advancements schedule, he reported.

“Council’s motivation would be to commit to an choice as quickly as feasible,” he mentioned.

White claimed funding is obtainable for the challenge as element of the city’s funds-enhancements system as a final result of the city’s new money-tax structure authorized by voters in 2021.

Council has approved funding for a five-12 months CIP to handle new initiatives, servicing and the invest in and maintenance of metropolis gear and has agreed on a listing of desired projects, White claimed.

The metropolis personnel will proceed to prioritize that perform above the subsequent 5 several years, White reported.

The Adventure Park tunnel appeared on a preliminary look at possible assignments for the CIP in late 2021, with council customers hoping at the time to speedy-track some projects, such as the tunnel.

“We’re currently commencing to shift on some of individuals points that we’ve previously determined, in certain the Experience Park tunnel,” Mayor Dan Swartwout advised ThisWeek at the time.

“The metropolis of Powell maintains a network of bicycle paths furnishing beneficial connections concerning town parks and neighborhoods,” White wrote in a memo to council. “The pedestrian tunnel beneath the CSX railroad, located west of Adventure Park, is an important variable of this network.”

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This short article initially appeared on ThisWeek: City of Powell: Wheels of development on tunnel to Experience Park rolling bit by bit