Many students on campus may be unaware that beneath the oaks and arches is a tunnel system dating back to the 1920s.
Peter Davidson, Energy Services director, said the underground system makes it easier for Facility Services employees to check on pipes without disrupting the students.
“We can get to a problem without digging up the pipes and excavating them,” Davidson said.
Why were the tunnels built?
Davidson said the tunnels consist of different utilities, including steam lines, telecommunication cables, electrical wires and pipes for shelve water for air conditioning units.
“[The tunnels] were installed when the campus was built to make it easy to check any problems with pipes,” Davidson said. “Electricians or plumbers can determine where they need to check, and they can go right to the problem.”
Where on campus do the tunnels run?
“[The tunnels] are primarily under the Quad and those buildings surrounding it as part of the University’s original infrastructure,” Davidson said. “Some also are running to Highland, the Law Center, Graham, Music and Dramatic Arts and the new Music buildings.”
He said the University has not installed any tunnels in recent years because the process is fairly expensive and somewhat unnecessary.
“Insulation and materials have gotten better to protect the pipes,” Davidson said. “It’s also pretty costly because it’s a very labor intensive type of process.”
Who goes into the tunnel system, and how often are they sent?
Davidson said Facility Services sends employees down when a problem occurs and during certain times of the year when pipes may get more use than usual.
“During the prime heating season we send people down once a week, but for the rest of the year we only check about once a month,” he said.
Davidson said no one complains about going into the tunnels because they know it is part of the job, and they expect it.
“I guess it depends on what the job is,” he said. “If they had a choice of working up to their knees in a mud hole or going into the tunnels, I’m sure they’d pick the tunnel.”
What is it like down there?
“It’s typically hot and moist because the steam lines are active,” Davidson said. “They usually need flashlights because the lights down there don’t do much.”
He said Facility Services workers sometimes are required to wear protective gear to prevent possible exposure to asbestos.
“Sometimes the pipes are pretty old, and workers have to wear respirator masks with special filters on them to trap particles in the air,” Davidson said.
He said he has never heard of students venturing into the tunnels and does not want to glamorize the system because it is dangerous if someone is not properly trained.
“There are definitely hazards,” Davidson said. “There are places where you could easily get burned.”