A great reason to visit the quaint town of Kennesaw, Georgia this summer is to help inaugurate a new pedestrian tunnel that addresses safety concerns and incorporates the history of the area.
After nearly 14 years of planning, studying, fundraising and constructing, Kennesaw finally has its pedestrian underpass. The tunnel gives pedestrians the option of walking under the railroad tracks in downtown historic Kennesaw instead of over them.
The $3 million tunnel, with stone and brick adorning the entrances and metal lining on the interior, stands at 115 feet long and 8 feet tall. The ramps leading into the tunnel are decorated with large replicas of paintings created by the late Wilbur Kurtz that depict the history of the Great Locomotive Chase, which began in Kennesaw during the Civil War. The story of the chase is written with photos and text on a marble slab in front of each painting, taking residents through a timeline of the chase beginning at the Main Street entrance and ending at the Cherokee Street entrance. According to one of the templates, Kurtz interviewed the train's conductor, William Fuller, in 1903, and went on to marry his daughter a few years later. Most of the paintings were completed in the 1930s, according to the signatures on the paintings.
For years, pedestrians had to dangerously cross the CSX railroad tracks if they wanted to visit the Southern Museum of Locomotive History and other sites on the eastern side of downtown, and then back over the tracks to visit shops near City Hall.
The initiative in Kennesaw started 14 years ago, when CSX closed two of its pedestrian crossings in Marietta. Kennesaw residents began vouching for a pedestrian underpass in Kennesaw to alleviate safety concerns, but for many years, CSX did not want to see that happen. The pedestrian underpass is built under the busiest section of the CSX network, and the project still has a few landscaping details to be done and a historic, restored push car will be placed in front of the Main Street entrance.
Come out for a summer stroll and enjoy the shops, restaurants and museums of Kennesaw!
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