Work on one of Suwanee's long-term projects has been taking place behind the scenes and out of sight for a long time, but now the construction is visible, and audible, to the public. This project is the "Connection" pedestrian underpass beneath the railroad tracks behind the Suwanee police and fire stations. The underpass will provide a safe passage connection between the old historic Main St of Suwanee (Old Town) including the library and the Town Center Park area where the new Suwanee City Hall is nearing completion. In addition to the underpass, the project will include <!--more-->a new crosswalk at the intersection of Buford Hwy and Town Center Ave in front of the current city hall and police station.

Steve Williams, a representative from the railroad helping to oversee the underpass construction, explained that they are currently driving pylons deep into the embankment on the Town Center side of the tracks and installing a wooden retaining wall to support the railroad embankment to avoid disturbing the tracks during the actual digging. Because of the limited embankment depth and close proximity of the tracks, the digging cannot be done with typical heavy equipment mechanical boring, but will actually be completed using hand-held equipment. As the soil is dug out from under the tracks, steel support walls will be progressively bolted together in sections and installed in an arch beneath the tracks. The fabrication of the steel support walls is one of the many components of the project which has been taking place off site and behind the scenes for some time.

The City of Suwanee, Georgia's ability to obtain a $1 million dollar grant and, more importantly, obtain approval from the railroad to construct this pedestrian underpass is more evidence of the tremendous foresight and tenacity of the government and business leaders in this community. This project demonstrates Suwanee's total committment to providing sustainable economic growth while retaining and revitalizing the existing historic and natural beauty of the our hometown community.

Original post at SuwaneeDwellings.com