SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The city of Scottsdale has a new pedestrian tunnel under one of its busiest roads.
Children from five nearby schools, cyclists, and equestrians can now cross underneath six lanes near Shea Boulevard at 124th Street, following the completion of a long-awaited city project.
"I think it's pretty safe to say we're pushing 10 years from conception to completion," said Scottsdale Public Works Director Dan Worth.
The delays began in 2019 when neighbors worried the original rock walls lining the approach to the tunnel didn't look safe.
"They were saying, 'it looks like it's going to come over on us.' When we did a structural analysis, that was never the case," says current project manager Derek Rogers.
Attempted fixes and then litigation followed, and a court schedule hampered by COVID restrictions slowed the process down even more.
Finally, the new and improved project opened to the public in mid-September. It would end up costing $4 million with most of the money coming from the federal government and Maricopa County.
