Burwell Pedestrian Tunnel Ribbon Cutting

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Wyatt Anthony | 180919-N-VH385-0060 BREMERTON, Wash. (Sept. 19, 2018) - Capt. Alan Schrader, commanding officer, Naval Base Kitsap, Capt. Howard Markle, commanding officer, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Rep. Derek Kilmer,U.S. representative for Washington's 6th congressional district, and Chal Martin, Director Public Wokrs and Utilities, city of Bremerton (left to right), cut the ribbon signifying the re-opening of the newly renovated Burwell Pedestrian Tunnel. The Burwell Pedestrian Tunnel was constructed in support of World War I housing programs and has provided safe access between the city and the shipyard for approximately 100 years. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Wyatt L. Anthony/Released)  

BREMERTON, WA, UNITED STATES

09.19.2018

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Wyatt Anthony  

Navy Public Affairs Support Element, Det. Northwest

BREMERTON, Wash. (Sept. 19, 2018) – Officials from the city of Bremerton and Sailors from Navy Region Northwest (NRNW) gathered on the corner of Burwell Avenue and Park Avenue to celebrate the re-opening of the Burwell Pedestrian Tunnel with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Sept. 19.

The tunnel was constructed in support of World War I housing programs and has provided safe access between the city of Bremerton and the shipyard for approximately 100 years. The tunnel facility includes a stairwell descending from street level, a 90-ft long concrete tunnel crossing under Burwell Street and the south entrance to the Controlled Industrial Area (CIA) of the shipyard.

The tunnel needed to be brought up to code in several different categories, as well as other efforts to make it safer and the entrance portal more aesthetically pleasing. Previously, the turnstiles emptied workers onto a narrow sidewalk along Burwell Street, which brought PSNS workers into an area with a lot of traffic.

“The tunnel itself is a nearly 100-year-old structure, dating back to just after the first world war. It had a lot of structural and electrical deficiencies that needed to be corrected in order to bring it up to date with current codes and standards,” said Lt. Cmdr. Brian Holmes, Naval Base Kitsap (NBK) Public Works Department. “The old turnstiles emptied out onto Burwell Avenue, which was fine at the time, but when they rerouted all of the ferry traffic coming out of the terminal onto Burwell, there was a large portion of the PSNS workforce at risk by queuing up in the line of traffic. So, by moving the turnstiles to Park Avenue, those folks are a lot safer now coming into work. Also, this new turnstile structure and other updates help to make it more in line with the urban renewal going on here in the city of Bremerton.”

The Washington State Department of Commerce approved a funding grant for the renovations to the tunnel in 2013. The funds were transferred to the city of Bremerton for the purpose of assisting with the planning and execution of this project and continued through months of cooperation to obtain the necessary licenses, approvals, and agreements needed for the grant funding to be used in support of a project on Navy-owned property. In 2016, the final approval to proceed with the project came from the assistant secretary of the Navy.

“This whole project wouldn’t have happened without cooperation," said Capt. Alan Schrader, commanding officer of NBK. "This project’s success is a testament to the professionalism and persistence of the state, city and Navy personnel whose enduring efforts made this unique cooperative endeavor possible."

The $1.26 million project is finally complete after more than five years of planning and construction. The tunnel will see the foot traffic of more than 6,000 people per day, traveling to and from PSNS.

“What this project symbolizes is the great cooperation that we have, both internal to the Navy itself and with all of our partners across the local community, state and federal governments,” said Capt. Howard Markle, commanding officer of PSNS. “As beautiful as this is and how well it integrates into downtown Bremerton, but most importantly 3,000 or more of my folks every day can safely enter the shipyard as they come to and from work.”

The ceremony wrapped up with Capt. Schrader, Capt. Markle, Rep. Derek Kilmer, U.S. representative for Washington's 6th congressional district, and Chal Martin, Director Public Works and Utilities, city of Bremerton, cutting the ribbon signifying the re-opening of the tunnel.

• Date Taken: 09.19.2018
• Date Posted: 09.20.2018 16:14
• Story ID: 293737
• Location: BREMERTON, WA, US