A local group, the Brockville Railway Tunnel Committee, has been campaigning for the city to reopen the 19th century tunnel permanently as a tourist attraction and a city walking/biking path.
The city will move forward with a tendering process to select contractors and suppliers for the restoration for the first phase: masonry repairs and rock stabilization, as well as work on the drainage system, concrete travel surface, lighting, ventilation, safety and security features, slope stabilization, access ramp and landscaping features. The budget is expected to be CAD 2.5M (USD 2M), with a proposed summer 2017 opening date.
The tunnel runs below the downtown core of Brockville, Ontario, on the shores of the St Lawrence River at the eastern edge of the Thousand Islands. It was used for railway traffic from 1860 to 1970 but has been closed up since then although tourists can look inside the entrance. According to the committee, recent engineering reports declare that there is no major damage and that it could be opened again after a major cleanup.
The Tunnelling Association of Canada (TAC) hosted a tour of the historic site during its October 2015 workshop in Kingston, Ontario.
Once open, the tunnel and park will attract an estimated 30,000 visitors annually. "Our plan is to open the tunnel and gorge in the summer of 2017 to coincide with Canada’s 150th birthday," said Linda Eyre, vice chair of fundraising for the Brockville Railway Tunnel Committee.
"Our committee has undertaken market research and extensive engineering, geological and environmental studies to prepare the tunnel and adjacent vacant properties for future public use," Eyre said. "The geological engineers who have inspected our tunnel say ‘it is literally rock solid.’ They assure us that our tunnel will last for many decades to come without the need for much maintenance or repair."
