Dear Council,
Regarding the new Middle Ave tunnel design proposal, it would be helpful to the community if staff could describe in detail what the user experience will be like.
1. What are the path grades now that the tunnel is 3 lower?
2. How long are the paths?
3. What is the expected total traversal time for bicyclists and pedestrians?
4. What will it be like traversing the tunnel at night?
5. How do the grades, path lengths and tunnel lengths compare with those of other nearby tunnels such as Homer and California Ave?
6. Will the tunnel be open 24/7?
It is important to ask these questions because if the tunnel takes too long to traverse, is too scary or too steep, it will get very few users and will not justify the $28m cost, risks associated with moving utilities and elimination of 29 trees (11 heritage).
Jonathan Weiner
