In the last email newsletter from “Go Neighborhoods – Near Northside” on 8/6/2010, there was a mention about the progress made on this tunnel.  It said that many folks in the neighborhood called the City everyday for a week to report the smell, trash, and lighting.  The report also said that Councilmember Ed Gonzalez’ office replaced the lighting in response to these reports form the community.  I did see that all of the lights in the tunnel were working during my walk (except one), so thank you, Councilmember and staff.  However, I feel like the lighting is only a small portion of the problems with that tunnel.

The smell is probably one of the most disgusting experiences you can have while walking in Houston.  It is no mystery where the smell comes from.  People use that tunnel as a toilet.  As I walked in, I could smell the urine immediately.  The smell got stronger the further I went, then was followed by the strong smell of feces.  Once you think you can’t take the smell anymore, you’re already halfway through the tunnel, so you might as well just muscle through it.  You can see all the black stool on the floor near the corners, and in some cases it is smeared and dried where it was running down the wall.  I have no apologies if this description is graphic.   This tunnel is a public pedestrian space and anyone – senior citizens, children, UHD students, visitors to Houston, etc. – can unfortunately happen upon this health-and-safety-hazard.

It’s a good walk to get through the tunnel.  I’d guess that it’s probably about 200 feet long and it might take about a minute and half to get through at a brisk pace.   The full span of the tunnel is entirely below grade (hence the need for lots of lighting) and completely out of sight from the cars passing by on the adjacent lane.  Going south through the tunnel, you see the wall on your right is solid brick which is painted over many times from graffiti abatement.  The left is a series of concrete support columns that are maybe 5 or 6 feet apart.  Between each column is a solid concrete barrier wall about 3 or 4 feet high with what seem to be 1″ drainage slits along the bottom edge.  If you stuck your hand over the wall and into the car lane, a passing driver might see that your hand is probably another 5 or more feet above the hood of his car.  Therefore, although a driver might be able to see a pedestrian in the tunnel, it is not likely that he would notice unless he was specifically looking for it.  All this to say, when you enter that tunnel, you are almost completely out of sight from anyone for the time it takes you to walk it.

On the way back from downtown, I decided to avoid the tunnel by taking the long way around.  If you walk West of the tunnel from Main St, you will go behind the UHD student parking lot and down a small street where you can cross the same railroad tracks that are above the tunnel.  The area is scantly occupied by very old warehouses that seem to be abandoned and in disrepair, almost as if they are some architectural ruin from the last century.  Wherever there is not such a structure is a weeded lot.  There is no sidewalk until you walk all the way through to Brooks Street from behind the Casa de Amigos clinic and emerge back on North Main.

I take the time to write about the Alfred Hernandez Tunnel because it is the ONLY pedestrian access from the Near Northside to downtown Houston and vice versa.  This tunnel is basically the gateway to the Northside from downtown and it is dark, scary, and full of human excrement.  Not only does it discourage Northsiders from walking into downtown, but it discourages downtowners from walking into the Northside.  Pedestrain access to the business center of the city would signify that the Near Northside is connected to the larger aspirations of the city and that Northsiders are encouraged to participate.  Instead, the message for the last few decades has been that Northsiders can only have access to all that downtown has to offer if they dare to traverse mounds of shit in the dark; and that anyone else heading into our neighborhood should do so at their own risk.

I am very happy to see that this tunnel is getting some attention more recently and I hope that a solution can be found that can help Northsiders take part in the exciting new push for more walkable and livable communities.

Isn’t it about time?  It seemed to me that the Northside had been neglected for decades; neglected by outside forces, but mostly neglected by ourselves.  I remember thinking when I was younger that I needed to move out of the Northside in order to have a happier, safer, more comfortable life.  It wasn’t until I got the chance to travel when I realized that the Northside already had all  the qualities of a livable, walkable community that I liked about New York and Chicago.

Other neighborhoods are also on the verge of a lot of changes that are coming with the completion of the light rail extensions.  The East End will likely see bigger changes and faster redevelopment than the Northside.  The new row houses (town-homes), bars and restaurants along Washington Avenue has already changed the entire look and function of that corridor.  With the increased density of these areas, Midtown will likely see a second surge.  I think that as Northsiders we need to make sure that the changes that are on the way can benefit us, and that we can take advantage of the opportunities that are already becoming available.

It looks like we have a network of support that is ready to make stuff happen.  However, nothing can really happen without the commitment of the residents and the local businesses.  We have to take an interest in our own neighborhood before some else takes their own interest in it.  Go Near Northside.  I was inspired today.