McAllen has decided to move forward with its plans to build a $5 million pedestrian tunnel that will connect the McAllen Convention Center, Westside Park and the Palms Crossing shopping center.

Officially called the McAllen Ware Road Pedestrian tunnel, work is expected to begin around September / October and will be done by Go Under Ground, a general contractor from Harlingen specializing in subterranean projects.

The tunnel is part of a larger plan to expand the city’s hike and bike trails, with plans to ultimately combine the McAllen and Edinburg trails, but as City engineer Rene Gonzalez put to the McAllen Monitor, it’s much easier to build a trail than a crossing tunnel hence why they’re doing the hard part now and will focus on the trails after.

While it’s great the city is actively building new public infrastructure, residents are wary about potential disruptions to a road that sees around 38,000 daily motorists. In response, City Manager Isaac Tawil told the Monitor that while “these projects are a disruption…when they are complete, they [will] greatly enhance the maneuverability through our communities.” For this we must think a few generations ahead and realize that our area is growing faster than ever before and the sooner we lay down infrastructure the better. It’ll just get harder as McAllen gets larger and larger.