I knew last Thursday morning was going to be a bit difficult for an old (generally) retired guy like me.  The local school board had a meeting Wednesday night that would likely go a little later than normal (it did) and Mayor Scott Fadness agreed to record a podcast early the following morning with Stephanie Perry of his communications staff.  The idea was to talk about the rebirth of activities with human beings together this summer in our fair city.

Then I received a message late Wednesday asking if I could report to City Hall even earlier so the mayor could provide a tour for me of the Nickel Plate Trail tunnel construction underneath 116th Street.  As most of you know by now, 116th at the trail is closed until at least the end of July to construct the tunnel.

Rising even earlier Thursday morning did not seem very appealing to me at first, but who can so no to the mayor when he makes an offer like that?  So, I said yes.

We did record the podcast Thursday (listen at this link).  Before the recording session, I donned my hard hat and descended into the construction area that is the Nickel Plate Trail tunnel.

The construction crew told me the entire area is immersed in gravel, so rain and water does not create mud that would get in the way of the project.  Heading downward, I saw an area that will feature steps on the east side of the tunnel.

What struck me the most was the size of this tunnel.  Most tunnels I have experienced are quite narrow in scope.  Based on the proportions I could see, this will be a fairly large tunnel.

Construction crews are working 6am to 6pm six days a week (Sundays off) in order to complete the construction on time.  I saw the construction crew working well in tandem to continue the work.

I did take some photos, but will not include them here for reasons I will not get into.  Suffice it to say the workers were busy.  It is still hard to visualize how the tunnel will look once it is complete.

The closure of 116th Street is difficult for any of us traversing that area regularly.  But all the businesses in the area are still open and can be accessed without much trouble through the construction.

Will all this inconvenience pay off once the tunnel construction is done?  We will know once the tunnel is open for all to see.