Lexington Minuteman
Thursday, November 6, 2003

Tunnel will connect 5 miles of battle road trails

By Stephen Hagan / CNC Staff Writer

Visitors trekking along the Battle Road Trail at Minute Man National Historical Park face danger of a type their early American ancestors never dealt with during the Revolutionary War: a speeding automobile.

As park visitors make their way along the historic trail, their sojourn back to colonial times is currently halted with the daunting prospect of crossing Route 2A, near Hanscom Drive. For years, this potential hazard has confounded park officials.

But a state project aimed a providing safe access should soon make that part of the visit a snap. Park officials last week said that, after years of planning, a tunnel being now being built underneath the highway should be open by spring.

Funding for the approximately $600,000 state project, which was held up at the federal level for months, has been restored, according to Melissa Saalfield, the park's public affairs officer. However, concerns over utility lines in the area have pushed back the completion date of the project.

The tunnel, which is being constructed by the Massachusetts Highway Department near the intersection with Hanscom Drive, could be open in time for next year's onslaught of visitors, according to Saalfield.

"I hope it will vastly improve it," said Saalfield. "It's a pretty terrible safety problem."

Heavy construction equipment this past summer removed boulders and rocks at the site. Saalfield said the tunnel, which will link the east and west ends of the park's trail, will be lighted and maintained by highway officials. The trail starts at Meriam's Corner in Concord and ends up near the park's visitor center in Lexington. Federal funds for the project were funneled through the office of MassHighways.

For now, visitors are jolted out of their park experience when faced with the crossing.

"We don't encourage people to cross there because it is heavily traveled," said Saalfield. "But we know they do."

The 124-foot tunnel will be 11-feet wide, 9-feet high and big enough to permit emergency vehicles to cross through it. Saalfield said extensive landscaping is planned for the project, in order to make it fit into the existing terrain.

While park officials are still mulling whether they will name the tunnel, Saalfield said one name under consideration is the Battle Road Trail Underpass.

John Tauscher is the landscape architect for the U.S. Park Service who is assigned to the tunnel project. Tauscher said the new tunnel will be greeted warmly by park visitors.

"It should definitely enhance the experience," said Tauscher. He said the tunnel itself will be made up of corrugated metal, with concrete structures at both entrances. In addition, security cameras will be installed inside the tunnel, he said.

"Safety was the factor behind building the tunnel," said Tauscher. "An overpass was considered but park officials feared people would avoid it and cross the road anyway. [An overpass] would have been more of an intrusion on the land."

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