- The pedestrian underpass in Dundee, built in 1934, has been highlighted by residents for its safety compared to crossing Dodge Street, although it needs maintenance and improvements.
- The Dundee Neighborhood Association has spent $13,000 on maintenance and has been denied grants twice, prompting resident James McGee to advocate for the underpass to be recognized as city infrastructure by Mayor John Ewing Jr.
- Community volunteers assist with upkeep, which includes painting and maintaining security cameras funded by donations, emphasizing the underpass's importance as a safety feature that should be prioritized by the city.
Did you know there’s a subway in Dundee? It’s not for trains; it’s for pedestrians. It runs along 51st street, under Dodge and has been here since the 1930s, and neighbors say it needs some help.
Watch Hannah's story:
Ten-year-old Mark Centamore and his seven-year-old sister Cora are very familiar with this underpass. KMTV asked them how often they use it to walk to school.
"Almost every single time!" Cora said
"Yeah, almost every single day," Mark continued.
"Unless it’s raining," Cora concluded.
Even though school is out for summer, they still walk underneath it frequently. They showed KMTV reporter Hannah McIlree their favorite paintings.
"There are scattered colors, but a bunch of the other ones are just like the same color, repeating again and again. This one has red, white, blue, green, purple, just a lot of colors everywhere," said Mark.
"Does it make you feel safer that you get to walk underneath Dodge Street instead of crossing it?" McIlree asked.
"Yes, because there are so many cars going so fast. They just zoom, zoom, zoom. If we're crossing there, it’s way more dangerous than if we're going under a safe place that protects us from the cars," Mark answered.
Maintenance has cost the Dundee Neighborhood Association $13,000. They’ve applied for the mayor’s neighborhood grants twice and been denied both times.
"Because it’s underneath the street, it needs maintenance. It needs painting, and electrical issues need to be upgraded—lighting and so forth," said Dundee historian James McGee.
McGee wants the city to recognize the passage as city infrastructure and is calling on Mayor-Elect John Ewing Jr. to collaborate with the neighborhood.
"I think it’s a pretty easy success for any new mayor. Mr. Ewing, as a former assistant police chief and officer with broad experience in public safety, can certainly look at this as a win, just to maintain it, to get it recognized on the city’s inventory of infrastructure, and to acknowledge it as a pedestrian safety issue," said McGee.
The tunnel was built in 1934 by the Works Progress Administration and was renovated in 2015. Volunteers help touch up paint, pick up trash, and switch light bulbs. The tunnel has security cameras funded by donors.
McGee added that he does not want to be critical of the city, but believes keeping the tunnel in good condition should be a top priority.
KMTV contacted Public Works Director Austin Rowser to learn more about the city's maintenance contribution and plan, and is waiting for his response.
