Monday, September 23, 1996

Houston getting a downtown underground soon

By Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) - Houston soon will be above such things as a tree-shaded sunken garden.

The garden and new pedestrian tunnels are among the attractions coming soon to Houston's downtown underground.

There already are 6.3 miles of tunnels downtown, and mayoral aide Dan Jones said a tunnel linking City Hall to the Central Library and Texaco-Heritage Plaza is in "the serious talking stage."

Another tunnel project, under preliminary discussion, would connect the Texas Commerce Bank garage to the historic Rice Hotel, which is being converted to upscale housing after years of vacancy.

Still another project is envisioned for the vacant block north of Foley's department store, although federal funding has not been approved nor a definite site selected.

Architects' drawings show how the block could be transformed into a "Transit to Tunnel Superstop," with restrooms and covered waiting areas for bus riders, and entrances to the tunnel system at each of its four corners.

Finally, advocates of a new baseball stadium and basketball arena on downtown's east side have proposed linking them to the system, although the distances involved make this unlikely anytime soon.

If the stadiums are built and attract night life as is hoped, pedestrian tunnels probably could boost attendance at the pro sporting events. Downtown workers could walk to games from their offices, and commuting fans could go to and from parking garages, sheltered from rain and heat.

Jones said a decorative plaza in the style of a Japanese garden has been proposed about 30 feet below street level on the south side of the former Houston Lighting & Power headquarters. The city is fitting the 27-floor building for use mainly by the Public Works Department.

The garden would be spanned by a footbridge from the sidewalk to the building entrance.

Jones said the plaza will be adorned with tall shade trees and probably a fountain, and a glassed-in pedestrian tunnel will run from its southeast side to join the existing tunnel system near Two Shell Plaza.

From the building's west side, a second tunnel would lead to a parking garage under Tranquility Park. Signs would guide pedestrians to City Hall and beyond.

This work should be completed by early 1998, Jones said.

A tunnel linking City Hall, the library and Texaco/Heritage Plaza would depend upon negotiations in progress between the city and the operator of the 53-story skyscraper.

It costs about $1 million to run a tunnel under a downtown street, with the bill normally shared by the building owners at each end. They naturally expect a return on investment, and that requires heavy use by office workers.