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Vale Tunnel

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Photos 

Southern Portal

Photo taken by Joshua Collins in November 2009

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Map 

Facts 

Overview
Tunnel on the Rock Island Railroad under a hill and Bannister Road between Raytown and Lees Summit in Kansas City
Location
Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri
Status
Railroad line inactive
History
Built 1903-4; abandoned 1980 with the bankruptcy of the Rock Island Railroad
Design
Tunnel
Dimensions
Total length: 446.0 ft.
Also called
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Tunnel 4
Approximate latitude, longitude
+38.94770, -94.43537   (decimal degrees)
38°56'52" N, 94°26'07" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
15/375614/4311952 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map
Lees Summit
Inventory number
BH 21722 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Update Log 

  • November 22, 2009: New photos from Joshua Collins
  • January 10, 2009: Updated by Max Johnson: Was actually built sometime around 1904
  • April 24, 2008: Updated by Max Johnson
  • January 30, 2006: Posted photos from Dale Rush

Related Bridges 

Sources 

  • Dale Rush
  • Joshua Collins - Bigjc1979 [at] aol [dot] com
  • Brian Long

Comments 

Vale Tunnel
Posted April 24, 2012, by Donna Sattley (dsattley [at] aol [dot] com)

I think that this is a photo of the Vale tunnel back in 1914..I think this is the tunnel because grandfather worked for the Rock Island RR and they were living at Vale where this photo was taken. He was a foreman.

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Vale Tunnel
Posted December 17, 2011, by Dottie P. (pratt_dottie [at] yahoo [dot] com)

The engraving on the south side of the tunnel read as: TUNNEL NO. 4 1903-4

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Vale Tunnel
Posted August 30, 2011, by Chris P

I'm not sure how much of the trailwork is done, but Ameren filed with the surface transportaion commitee to "abandon" some of the line, to allow the state to build the trail directly in place of the rail line just as the Katy was done. This is the nail in the coffin to the rail line. There is a presentation detailing the trail at:

http://www.marc.org/community/rockisland.htm

Vale Tunnel
Posted June 30, 2011, by Garrett Corliss (hugeroblox [at] hotmail [dot] com)

The tunnel was built

1904-1906. It took so long because they had 1 labour strike that delayed constution 6 months.

Vale Tunnel
Posted March 20, 2010, by Michael Gillespie (TheRiverWriter [at] aol [dot] com)

The Katy Trail Extension will not necessarily go through the tunnel. The extension is only funded from Windsor to Pleasant Hill. Also, Ameren, the company that owns the abandoned RI right of way, has reserved the option of reestablishing rail service on the line. That means the trail will run alongside the old roadbed, not on top of it as elswhere on the Katy Trail. Since the tunnel is not wide enough to accomodate both the tracks and the trail, the trail will have to go up and over the hill, instead of tunneling through it.

Vale Tunnel
Posted April 7, 2009, by Max Johnson

March 31st, 1980, last Rock Island Railroad train in use, this line and many others abandoned.

Well, this one sees new hope.

Gov. Jay Nixon of Missouri, has begun the process of rebuilding this line in a Katy trail extension, a video of the story can be seen here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rix15Tqx5bU&feature=channel

So, new hope and the line will come back to life!

They have said it will take five years to complete, but it will be done.

Vale Tunnel
Posted March 18, 2007, by Kelly McClanahan (KMCCLA [at] aol [dot] com)

Tunnel 4 (of 4) on the old CRI&P line. Access is farily easy. Tunnel goes under Bannister Rd (Kansas City, Mo) just west of Nortfleet Rd. Take Nortfleet (south) to end of paved road (it turns into 98th).