Chattanooga's Wilcox Tunnel to be renovated, but new tunnel unlikely

When I look at the Wilcox Tunnel, it is an eyesore and a disparity in the city of Chattanooga."

Chattanooga officials are making another attempt at getting federal funds to build a companion for the Wilcox Tunnel, something residents have requested for years.

But the numbers show that a second tunnel is likely a pipe dream, even though the area's oldest tunnel is getting a massive makeover that city officials hope will solve many of the aged passage's problems.

A vehicle passes through the Wilcox Tunnel on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Residents packed a public hearing recently on the tunnel project called by Councilman Yusuf Hakeem, and many were clear about what they wanted -- equal tunnel treatment.

The area's other tunnels have been cleaned and repaired, but Wilcox Tunnel has been left behind, they say.

"When I look at the Wilcox Tunnel, it is an eyesore and a disparity in the city of Chattanooga," former City Councilman John Taylor said. "It says that this community does not count compared to [those around] the other tunnels. We do count. We are somebody, and we deserve the same treatment."

Other tunnels in the city, such as the McCallie Tunnels, the Bachman Tubes and Stringer's Ridge Tunnel, are owned and maintained by the state. As a result, these tunnels are kept up, and cleaned monthly.

The Wilcox Tunnel is the only one the city owns, and it's the oldest tunnel in the area. It was built in 1932 for $300,000 -- that's $5.1 million in 2014 dollars, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"The tunnel has been leaking for more than 25 years. If we can fix the other three, I know we can fix this tunnel," Taylor said.

Residents are concerned because ambulances, buses and other government service vehicles eschew the tunnel, citing traffic safety concerns.

Spiffing up the existing tunnel will be a big help, residents say. But many are calling for two tunnels, one for eastbound traffic and one for westbound traffic.

"Twenty-five years ago ... there was a plan to build another tunnel. That was the plan when I was on City Council. When we want to fix other things, we can fix it and find the money," Taylor said. "We are tax-paying citizens. ... We are looking for fair treatment."

TIMID TIGER

The biggest hurdle for the two-tunnel vision is money.

Soft estimates for the cost of a second tunnel are about $50 million, and likely higher.

To shoulder that cost alone, the city would have to raise property taxes roughly 43 percent, according to city spokeswoman Lacie Stone.

To raise $50 million in one year, the levy would have to go from $2.309 to $3.309 per $100 of assessed value.

That means the tax bill for a $250,000 home would be $625 higher. The owner would pay $2,068 in annual property taxes instead of $1,443.

The owner of a $100,000 home would pay $827 instead of $577 in annual taxes, or $250 more.

To pick up the money over five years, the $2.309 levy would have to increase by 20 cents per $100.

Neither of those is an option, Stone said.

So the city has been looking to split the cost with a federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery -- or TIGER.

The city has tried and failed to get the grant. And historic grant award numbers show that Chattanooga's chances at getting the $27 million grant it needs to build the extra tunnel are dwindling -- or perhaps already gone.

When the TIGER grant was first created under the Obama administration in 2009, the grant program was strong, according to a city presentation.

Of 1,457 applications, the grant funded 51 projects to the tune of $1.5 billion. Of those 51 projects, 57 percent of the grant requests were for $20 million or more. The city is asking for about $27 million from the grant.

But as time went by, the administration started to favor smaller, less expensive projects, and the grant award each year shrank.

In 2010, TIGER funded 74 projects with $574 million and 10 percent of projects exceeded $20 million. The following year, the grant funded 46 projects with $511 million and none of those asked for more than $20 million.

The grant funded no $20 million-plus projects in 2013, and only 4 percent of projects in 2012 and 2014 exceeded $20 million.

Still, Transportation Director Blythe Bailey told council members last week that the city was applying for TIGER money again. The city's request will exceed $20 million.

Officials say they hope to get some bargaining power with the aid of U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann.

Fleischmann spokesman Tyler Threadgill said in an email that the congressman has worked with Chattanooga to get TIGER grant funding in the past for other projects, and that would continue.

"He will continue working with local officials on the Wilcox Tunnel efforts," Threadgill said.

Councilman Russell Gilbert, who has worked on the Wilcox Tunnel issue for years, said the chance of getting the TIGER grant "looks slim" but the city should still try.

"The bottom line is what they want to hear is how we are we going to get the grant money for this tunnel. We are going to keep pushing for that," Gilbert said.

TUNNEL MAKEOVER

Regardless of whether the city gets the grant, Bailey said the existing tunnel will be cleaned, resurfaced and brightened.

That comes after years of foot-dragging by past administrations.

Cars drive through the Wilcox Tunnel recently.

From 1987 to 2006, the city has paid for three major studies to investigate structural, environmental and safety concerns in the tunnel, according to city records.

Those studies recommended more than $28 million in repairs and upgrades. To date, the city has paid for just $706,684 of those recommendations -- including $307,000 for the reports themselves.

But Bailey said when Mayor Andy Berke took office, restoring the tunnel became a top priority.

Even before Hakeem's public meeting was announced, the tunnel rehab project was advertised for bids.

City Chief Operating Officer Brent Goldberg said it was the biggest step forward for the tunnel in half a century.

"The Berke administration has done more for this tunnel than has been done in 50 years. When we are finished, we will have a safe, clean and attractive tunnel -- not perfect, but much better than it has been in decades," Goldberg said.

Bids are slated to be opened in the coming weeks, and construction on the Wilcox Tunnel renovation is expected to start in April and run through October.

In the end, the tunnel will be cleaned and construction joints repaired. Then will come a new lighting system, new wall coating that can be cleaned more easily than concrete, an improved water drainage system, a resurfaced roadway and a better pedestrian railing, according to Bailey's presentation.

Contact staff writer Louie Brogdon at lbrogdon@timesfreepress.com, @glbrogdoniv on Twitter or at 423-757-6481.