A community consultation regarding the permanent nightly closure of the Pegley Court walking tunnel – located underneath the Lacroix Street Bridge in Chatham along the north side of the Thames River – will be hosted in partnership by Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.
The open house-style consultation will take place at CKHA’s Frank and Mary Uniac Auditorium (located next to the Chatham Campus Emergency Department entrance) on Aug. 8 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The consultation will give citizens an opportunity to learn more about the nightly closure of the tunnel and a chance to ask questions and discuss concerns with representatives from the municipality and CKHA.
CKHA Director of Communications Fannie Vavoulis said the tunnel has been the site of drug activity and other suspicious activity, and the hospital takes concern for the safety of its staff very seriously.
“It sounds like we have great support from the neighbours about closing the tunnel nightly but we want to make sure everyone in the neighbourhood has a chance to provide input,” Vavoulis said.
Gated parking is available on-site for attendees of the consultation meeting and municipal parking is also situated on and around the property.
Vavoulis said the nightly gated closure is proposed from dusk to approximately 7 a.m. and will start on a daily basis on Sept. 1 to increase neighbourhood safety and limit suspicious activity.
She added surrounding neighbourhoods will receive informational letters from the municipality in advance of the closure.
The nightly closure of the walking tunnel, which channels off of the Pegley Court parking lot west of CKHA’s Chatham Campus, will improve the overall safety of the hospital’s staff, physicians, volunteers, patients and visitors, according to hospital officials.
CKHA’s on-site security team will be responsible for locking the gates on a daily basis. An alternative walking route during daytime and evening hours is available along Mary Street with a traffic-controlled pedestrian crosswalk.
