Lake Mary Boulevard Pedestrian Tunnel

RS&H designed a below-grade pedestrian tunnel under the intersection of Lake Mary Boulevard and International Parkway in Lake Mary, Florida. The tunnel increases safety for trail users along the Seminole Wekiva Trail, as well as the motoring public along these two major roadways. The project required a broad range of services, including civil and structural engineering, drainage design, landscaping, streetscaping, and architectural design. As part of the drainage design, RS&H provided basin delineation, as well as facility and storm sewer system designs.

Although RS&H obtained an exemption from an Environmental Resource Permit with St. Johns River Water Management District, the team designed French drains under the pedestrian trail to provide positive drainage as a Best Management Practice. This also enabled the team to provide a stormwater management system within the existing right-of-way. The irregular geometric configuration of the pedestrian trail and tunnel provided a challenge, which the team solved with trench drains to collect and convey stormwater from the trail to the French drains. Utility coordination and relocation proved difficult, as several major utilities required relocation to accommodate the tunnel construction, including a 16-inch reclaimed water main, a 16-inch potable water main, and a 10-inch wastewater force main.