Underground Pedestrian Tunnel on Woodward to Premier Garage for Residents, Possible?

[royce]

I know that many residential developers of downtown buildings want dedicated parking for their residents. Along Woodward between John R and Grand River exists several buildings that could house residential units [[a few already do). Given the fact that many of those buildings have basements that jut out underneath the sidewalks, how difficult would it be to put in an underground pedestrian tunnel that links those buildings to the Premier Garage on the Hudson's site? Does anybody know if the idea has ever been suggested? I think an underground pedestrian tunnel like the one that they have for the Kales Building would be what is needed to get more residential along lower Woodward. Ok, now it's time to pan or praise my idea.

[Warrenite84]

It sounds like a good idea to me. If there are steam pipes, or utilities to move the costs may outweigh the benefits.

[Gannon]

Well, our test dig on Jefferson has failed. We donate it to the city. Gonna call it the Kwhyme Memorial Hole.

[Bucket]

The Kales tunnel added $800,000 to the project cost, or so I gather.

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

Underground tunnels would be prohibitive financially for most projects. Infrastructure of one sort or another is under every street downtown. In order to be worth the cost, such a project would have to be adjacent to the parking facility [[as the Kales building is from GCP garage) and serve enough people to make it worthwhile. And ultimately, it is not a very urban idea. People having cause to walk in their downtown is generally a desirable thing. I can understand the thought a little better in the context of an abandoned, blighted, unsafe downtown. But we're rapidly moving away from that.

[DetroitPlanner]

Cost is high. William H Whyte won't like them. Most likely there is tons of stuff buried under there that would need to be addressed [[pipes, cables, sewers...)

[EastsideAl]

Is it that hard just to walk across the street?

[chicagoforlife]

Chicago has the pedway which is pretty much the same thing that you're talking about, it connects downtown buildings via underground walkways. Minneapolis has the same thing only they have bridges going from building to building. I think that'd be a pretty good idea.

[stasu1213]

I thought that there were a tunnel underground in the area that was the result of the failed subway plan 100 years ago.

[Scottathew]

Downtown Detroit needs street traffic, we don't need to spend a lot of money trying to get rid of it.

[downtownguy]

Is it that hard just to walk across the street?

Priceless!

[royce]

Is it that hard just to walk across the street?

Yes, if it's late at night and you're a woman. Yes, if your hands are full and it's pouring rain. Yes, if you're at the corner of Woodward and John R/Clifford and your car is parked on the third or fourth level of the Premier Garage.

Understand my POV. The underground tunnel is not so much for easy access to a parking structure. It is for having dedicated parking for residents of residential developments or workers of office developments that developers won't build if they don't have dedicated parking. The basement jut-outs are there along lower Woodward and the Premier Garage is nearby. It just seems like a doable endeavor to possibly connect them given the need for dedicated parking.

Also, I toured the Kales Building and the underground tunnel to the Grand Circus Park parking deck when the Kales was first being developed. Having access to the parking deck was a definite plus when I considered living at the Kales.

[Lily]

can't comment on the feasibility, cost, etc. But I would say cant even be considered until there is some really convincing safety talk. nice idea for some day, but not now. I have issues walking in an open parking lot or tower, walking underground from parking to "home", not yet.

[A2Mike]

I remember using the underground walkway from the the GM to the Fisher and New Center Buildings in the '60's and 70's. It was quite convenient then but I'm not sure if it is even in use today given the changes in the buildings' ownership and management. It was so well integrated into the layout it must have been part of the original construction. I don't the Renaissance Center developers even thought of such an amenity.

[Scottathew]

I had an opportunity to go through a utility tunnel that connects two large downtown Detroit buildings [[I'm not at liberty to say which ones, sorry).

The tunnel had a dirt floor [[or at least that's the top layer of the floor). The walls were made of brick and at the top formed an arch. The tunnel was about 1/8 to 1/4 of a mile long, ~4 feet wide and 6 to 6.5 feet tall. The tunnel had high voltage electrical service on one side [[I think it was labled 4800 volts or something like that), and what looked to be steam or water pipes on the other side. The tunnel had lighting at one point, but it was no longer functioning and falling off of the walls.

Halfway through the tunnel there was a 20-30 foot vertical tunnel composed of brick that looked up to a manhole that is on a downtown street. You could see the daylight shining through and I heard the sound of a trumpet playing. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life, standing in a tunnel that no doubt had some kind of untold history while the music of a trumpet echoed its way down to an audience he didn't know was listening. I found the performer and tipped him for the experience.

After going through the tunnel I went topside, I was able to locate the manhole that I was standing 20-30 feet beneath.

Here's a picture from the underside looking directly up at a manhole that's in a downtown street:

[royce]

Today would surely be the kind of day an underground tunnel to your car would be a very good thing.

[mikeg19]

The way shit crumbles at a moments notice in this city, you've got balls to be walking around down there man.