East Side Railroad Tunnel
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The East Side Railroad Tunnel is a railroad tunnel on the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island. The tunnel was opened on November 15, 1908. The tunnel runs 5,080 feet (1,550 m), under College Hill, from Gano Street to Benefit Street. It is currently abandoned and sealed, but a project has been suggested to reuse the tunnel for either rail or bus use.
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[edit] History
[edit] Construction
The tunnel was first envisioned in 1903 as a more direct connection to the old Union Station, in the center of Providence. Construction on the tunnel started in May 1906. One crew worked east from the Benefit Street entrance, and one crew worked west from the Gano Street entrance. The crews met on April 6, 1908 beneath Cooke St, one day earlier than expected, and their alignments were off by only 3/8". A total of nearly 200,000 cubic yards (150,000 m³) of material was excavated. The tunnel was opened on November 15, 1908.
The project also included a Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge over the Seekonk River. The entire cost of the project, including the bridge, the tunnel, and the approach to Union Station, was two million dollars.
The tunnel also allowed the closing of the Fox Point railroad station, which had served the city for 73 years.
[edit] Operation
Originally the tunnel had 2 tracks, both of which were electrified for the heavy electric passenger trains to Bristol, Rhode Island and Fall River, Massachusetts. These trains ran until 1934 at which time the electrification was removed and the route from that time on was used primarily for freight trains with the occasional passenger train from Providence and points-south to Narragansett Race Track during racing season. In the 1950s the second (south) track was removed due to dwindling frequency of the freight trains. The ownership of the tunnel was transferred to the state of Rhode Island in 1981. The last train passed through shortly after that.
[edit] May 1st 1993
On May 1, 1993 a group of students gathered at the western end of the tunnel below Benefit Street, to celebrate Beltain-May Day. The students had fires, wore masks, and beat drums until early in the morning. College security officers tried to break up the party. The students claimed the officers had no jurisdiction in the tunnel. A fight broke out between one of the security officers and a student who refused to stop drumming.
The police were called, and by the time they had arrived, the party had grown even larger. The police tried to break up the party with tear gas, but the students responded by throwing rocks and bricks. The police finally broke up the party by forming a riot line, and surrounding the students.
The following day the police claimed that they had found "satanic rituals", and the tunnel was soon covered with corrugated steel, with small doors at ether end. These doors were later welded shut.
[edit] Specifications
The tunnel is 5,080 feet (1,550 m) long, height of tunnel 22 feet 3 inches (6.8 m) over top of rail, and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide. The roof is made of reinforced concrete.
[edit] Crook Point Proposal
A proposal to develop Crook Point, a stretch of shoreline from the Interstate 195 bridge (Washington Bridge) to the Henderson Bridge, was made by Brown University graduate Richard Manchester. The proposal includes 400 housing units, 1,400 parking units and green open space. The plan would include a bus or tram running across the bridge and through the tunnel to bring people downtown. There might also be a stop in between the two ends of the line at Thayer Street, owing to Brown University's proximity and the shopping on Thayer Street.
In May 2006, Mayor David N. Cicilline outlined plans guiding the immediate development of the city of Providence. Among the salient points was a desire for the creation of a streetcar/light rail system. It seems likely that Transit 2020 (the group responsible for the planning of the future transportation system), will recommend utilizing the tunnel in the interests of saving space in the city, and reducing costs.
Providence 2020 Pages 24-25 (30-31 on pdf).
[edit] External links
- "The East Side Railroad Tunnel" from Art in Ruins
- Providence, Rhode Island - East Side Tunnel
- "Burrowing development" from the College Hill Independent.
- "PROVIDENCE TUNNEL OPENED.; Underground Way Only Partly Completed, but Suburban Trains Use It", New York Times, November 16, 1908, p. 16.
