Downtown Tunnel Repairs | City of Staunton

Wharf Tunnel Repairs Phase 1 - Feb 26 (3)

What's Happening Now?

Phase 1: Byers Street tunnel repair work is underway.

Crews are onsite and set up in the eastern portion of the Wharf Parking Lot to repair the creek tunnel that runs under Byers Street. This phase of the project is expected to continue into August or September.

Project Overview

The City of Staunton is undertaking a critical infrastructure project to repair the aging stormwater tunnels beneath Byers Street, West Johnson Street, and New Street. Addressing these conditions now is essential to prevent structural failure and ensure public safety in the Wharf District.

Duration: February 2026 – Spring 2027
Investment: $4.62 Million
Goal: Restore structural integrity of tunnels supporting roadways while maintaining downtown access.
Method: "Top-down" construction to to remove and replace tunnel roofs and walls
Three priority locations under roadways:
- Tunnel beneath Byers Street (Phase 1)
- Tunnel beneath West Johnson Street (Phase 2)
- Tunnel beneath New Street (Phase 3)

Overall Map of Work Areas for the downtown tunnels. Purple highlights are on West Johnson and Byers Street and a blue highlight is on New Street where repairs will be performed.

PHASE 1: Byers Street (Starting Feb. 17)

Timeline: Through September 2026

Status: Demolition and relocation of utilities

What to Expect:

Traffic: Byers Street will be closed at Johnson Street. Byers Street has been closed to through traffic since March 2025. This portion of the project won't change overall traffic flow.
Parking: The eastern portion of the Wharf Parking Lot will close for construction staging. The western side will remain open.

Business Access: All businesses remain open. Pedestrian access will be maintained.

The Work: Crews are using a "top-down" approach to replace tunnel walls and roofs with reinforced concrete. Some utilities will be relocated as part of the project.

More Detail:

Late February: Initial demolition and tunnel roof removal begins
March – April: Relocation of sewer lines
April – July: Wall removal and excavation for footers
July – August: Installation of precast tunnel sections

Post Construction:

Street will re-open to through traffic
Steel tube railing along street over creek will be replaced with Essex green bridge guardrail (similar to Mill St); ornamental fence above creek banks
Additional manhole access to sanitary sewer
Lower section of eastern side of Wharf will still be closed. There are still weak sections under a portion of the parking lot itself.

PHASE 2: West Johnson Street (Projected 2026-2027)

Timeline: Late Summer 2026 - Spring 2027

Status: Scheduled

Traffic Changes:

West Johnson Street will close to through traffic near the Police Entrance to the Johnson Street Garage.
Byers Street will reopen one-way and serve as part of the detour.

Parking Impact: A portion of the western Wharf Parking Lot closest to Johnson Street will close for construction staging. Spaces closer to Byers Street will remain available.

Pedestrian Access: Clear pedestrian routes will be maintained during construction to maintain access to the Wharf from Central Ave.

PHASE 3: New Street (Projected 2026-2027)

Project Background

August 2020: Severe flooding in the Wharf district prompts flood mitigation studies
May 2021: Staff present the findings from hydrologic and hydraulic studies with Wiley|Wilson
- Most of the potential solutions presented were determined to not be feasible (removing historic buildings, adding additional tunnels, creating flood control ponds, etc.)
August 2021: Staff returned to Council with more feasible recommendations related to tunnel maintenance and improvements.
September 2024: The city contracted with Wiley|Wilson for a tunnel maintenance study which included a survey and structural evaluation
March 2025: Engineers discovered areas of concern with the structural integrity of the tunnels in several areas, especially around the Wharf.
- Engineers recommended that the city limit traffic above those sections of the tunnel.
Spring/Summer 2025: The city works with engineers to develop repair plans for the areas of concern in tunnels under roadways
October: 2025: The tunnel repair project for sections under Byers Street, Johnson Street, and New Street is put out to bid.

FAQs

Why are repairs focused only on roadways?

The current project focuses specifically on tunnel sections under active roadways (Byers, West Johnson, and New Streets). These repairs are essential to reopen streets for daily travel. Fixing these sections will restore normal downtown traffic patterns. By prioritizing roadways, the city avoids spending taxpayer funds on parking lot tunnels that could be changed in a future project.

What about daylighting the creek or other improvements to the Wharf Parking Lot?

The structural evaluation did find areas of concern under the Wharf Parking Lot. Those areas have been closed to vehicles since March 2025. Any future work in the Wharf Parking Lot (including alternatives such as daylighting) will be evaluated and planned separately through a long-term process with extensive public engagement. The parking lot tunnels are currently being evaluated as part of a daylighting feasibility study, which explores the potential removal of tunnel roofs to restore the creek as an open-air feature.

Will Wharf businesses remain open?

Yes. The city is working diligently to improve wayfinding signage for detours and parking and keep pedestrian access open through all phases of construction.

How will parking change during construction?

Each construction phase will reduce available parking. The city will work to keep as much parking open as possible and help identify alternative options. The city will communicate available options and changes clearly before each phase begins.

Phase 1	Phase 2	Phase 3
Byers Street	Johnson Street	New Street
The eastern part of the Wharf lot will close. When the Byers Street repairs are complete, the portion of that surface lot that is currently available (prior to construction) will reopen, as will Byers Street.	The portion of the western part of the Wharf lot closest to Johnson Street will be closed to parking, but spaces within the lot nearer to Byers Street will remain available.	A portion of the RMA lot – the area closest to New Street – will be closed.

How will traffic be detoured?

Detailed detour plans will accommodate all directions of travel and ensure access to parking near closure areas. The city will coordinate with BRITE transit, first responders, and mapping applications like Google Maps and Waze to keep route information current.

What makes this project so challenging?

This is a complex project requiring a "top-down" approach, working through the road surface. This involves:

Relocating gas, water, sewer, and electric utilities.
Replacing tunnel walls/roofs with reinforced concrete.
Obtaining strict environmental permits for waterway work.

Parking

Tunnel Repairs Progress

Updated on 03/19/2026 9:35 AM

This album shows the progress of the Downtown Tunnel Repairs Project

Creek Tunnel Assessment Photos

Updated on 09/19/2025 12:26 PM

Photos of creek tunnels from structural survey showing deficiencies

Looking Ahead: Long-term Creek Considerations

These tunnel repairs are separate from any future consideration of "daylighting" the creeks, opening the tunnels and exposing them to the surface. The city has allocated funding to study the feasibility of daylighting portions of the Wharf area, which would involve looking at different engineering approaches and costs.

The current repairs focus on immediate structural safety needs and restoring full street functionality. Any future creek daylighting decisions would be made separately and would include extensive community input.