Pedestrian Railroad Underpass Tunnel

Project

PEDESTRIAN RAILROAD UNDERPASS TUNNEL

The Pedestrian Underpass at CSX Transportation (CSXT) is located in the heart of the City of Kennesaw adjacent to the historic Kennesaw Railroad Depot at the corner of Main Street and Cherokee Street.

In the planning stages for nearly fourteen years, this project was part of a Livable Center Initiative (LCI) Study conducted by the City entitled Kennesaw Redefined, which devised a variety of transportation projects to improve safety and encourage alternate modes of transportation in the Depot Area. The railroad underpass was identified in the study as a focal point.

The rail line in Kennesaw is one of the CSXT’s major arteries, typically carrying as many as 30 to 40 trains per day through the city at speeds of up to 40 mph. The underpass enhances safety by redirecting pedestrians away from the extremely dangerous at-grade rail crossing located at the CSXT tracks across Cherokee Street. The underpass is also a critical first step in the City’s master plan for revitalization of the entire Depot Area, intended to promote safe pedestrian circulation and connectivity between city attractions, shops and offices located on either side of the tracks.

The $3M tunnel, with stone and brick adorning the entrances and metal lining on the lighted interior, stands at 115 feet long and 8 feet tall. The ramps leading into the tunnel are decorated with large replicas of paintings created by the late Wilbur Kurtz that depict the historic of the “Great Locomotive Chase” of the Civil War.

Willmer provided all geotechnical engineering consultation for this elaborate project.