A vehicle passes through the Wilcox Tunnel on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.Area residents and tunnel users want the hearing so they can express their safety concerns and have them documented. They also want to establish relationships with city, county, state and federal government officials who could help with tunnel repairs.
City officials have said they will start making $1 million to $2 million worth of repairs to the tunnel this spring. Those repairs include fixing water leaks and lighting.
But North Brainerd Community Council Chairman Robert Schreane said more of the same is not enough.
He said residents of the Eastdale, North Brainerd and Avondale communities have been asking that the tunnel be fixed for 50 years, and for 50 years the city has done patchwork repairs. Leaks and holes have been repaired, but icicles still hang from the tunnel's ceiling after cold winter rains, he said.
"The piecemeal work needs to stop," Schreane said. "We need to repair it and make it safe."
Councilman Russell Gilbert, whose district includes a portion of Wilcox Tunnel, said the current city administration is working hard to repair the tunnel. They've tried to get multimillion-dollar grant funding and failed, he said. But he plans to try again.
Gilbert said he's also working to establish relationships with federal and state officials who might assist with tunnel repairs. But in the meantime, the city has committed $1 million to $2 million for repairs this spring.
IF YOU GO
What: Public hearing about Wilcox Tunnel When: 3 p.m. Tuesday Where: City Council Assembly Room, council building, 1000 Lindsay St.
"Repairs to the tunnel are happening. I'd think someone would be happy about that," Gilbert said.
Schreane said community members want the city to do two things.
First, make the tunnel safe for emergency vehicles, fire trucks, school buses and public transportation. It has been deemed unsafe for emergency vehicles and school buses. It was put off limits to pedestrians in 2005, but people walk through it anyway, Schreane said.
Some residents have questioned if it would take a tragedy resulting from an emergency vehicle being unable to get through the tunnel before repairs become a top priority for officials.
About 16,000 to 18,000 people a day drive through Wilcox Tunnel. That's triple the amount of people who used the tunnel when it was constructed in 1932, Schreane said.
Second, community members want another tunnel that runs parallel to the Wilcox Tunnel, he said. Having two tunnels would allow for separate west- and eastbound traffic like the two tunnels on Brainerd Road, he said.
The proposed tunnel would open up at Wilcox and North Chamberlain and go to North Moore and Shallowford roads. That would eliminate traffic congestion and improve economic development in Eastdale, Schreane said.
He said no one expects a new tunnel overnight, but officials should at least develop a plan for it.
Gilbert said he also wants major repairs, but it takes partnerships to get the money.
Until the relationships and the money come, he's going to do what he can to repair the tunnel now, he said.
Contact staff writer Yolanda Putmanat yputman@timesfreepress.comor 423-757-6431.