Wheaton may hold off on plans for pedestrian underpass downtown

It's one of the Wheaton city council's top priorities, but a cash shortage may cause officials to take a pass on building a pedestrian underpass downtown.

Council members said an underpass is one of the most-requested improvements residents ask for in day-to-day conversations. However, the project would cost millions of dollars at a time when the city will likely seek new money just to maintain the city services already in place.

That reality is forcing to council to reconsider its priorities. The council initially listed the underpass as its third-highest strategic goal.

"I don't think this is a high priority," said Councilman Phil Suess Monday night.

The council was presented with a plan to hire an outside engineering consultant to explore the legal requirements, infrastructure limitations and costs associated with either an underpass or overpass. The consultant would cost up to $20,000.

The council agreed to hire the consultant to get an idea of the nuances involved.

City Manager Don Rose told the council the project never rose to a high priority because it's long been thought such an underpass would be a difficult project.

There is almost no public right-of-way in the central business district. The project would also require cooperation from the Union Pacific Railroad. There's also the safety issues of creating an area that would not have much natural light and need to be accessible to people with physical disabilities. And, the actual benefit and location of the underpass is questionable, Rose said.

"On any given day, I'm not sure there's a lot of pedestrian cross traffic," Rose said.

The comment excluded the foot traffic created on Saturdays by the French market. Rose suggested the underpass may have more value at the downtown train station than at, say, Main Street.

Rose said the underpass will remain on the council's list of possible projects to fund as budget discussions for the next fiscal year begin in a couple weeks.

Staff also told the council the rebuilding of the Manchester Road bridge would provide a route around the train traffic for vehicles. A new underpass or overpass for cars is not on the table.