Description

Hello SCF staff.

I sent an email tonight to Parks Director, Diane Sauer, on these issues, but wanted to have a record here on SCF so that I could gather support from others who might want to see this problem fixed.

This is about the Walnut Creek Greenway under Hammond Road. There are two major issues that I'd like to see if we can get addressed:

1) Lighting. The tunnel is extremely dark. There are situations happening on the greenway where multiple people are in the tunnel and can not see on-coming walkers and bikers. To me, this is a huge safety concern. The tunnel at South Saunders north of Mt Hope Cemetery is a good example of what should be at Hammond Road.

My suggested solution is to look at a solar-powered option that would keep the tunnel lit during the day and cut the power off at night. This is a ripe opportunity to also use LED lighting.

2) Standing water. I know last Fall when I frequently biked this Greenway that there would be standing water inside the tunnel for days and days after a rain storm. Even just your standard rain shower. It's obvious this is a known issue because one time I went and the tunnel was closed / roped off.

My idea here is to construct a platform or elevated walkway inside the tunnel to let people / bikes pass when that flooding occurs.

I think these two items need to be fixed before the Summer months. Alternatively, one solution is to see if there is a way to avoid this tunnel. I'm not sure if the topography or land situation around this area would allow for an alternate connection.

With the recent news of extending Walnut Creek, we need to ensure that the parts we already have are usable and can provide adequate connections to other greenways.

Thanks for listening and I look forward to getting these concerns addresses as soon as we can.

Jason Hibbets
SWCAC Chair