I go to the University of Guelph, which is in the small city of Guelph, about 100 km west of Toronto. What I've noticed is that there are a lot of covered grates on the university property with hot air coming out of them. People will stand on the grates during the winter to keep warm on their walks between classes. What I've heard from a lot of people is that there is an underground tunnel system connecting most of the university buildings but it cannot be accessed.

I also know that the York University in northern Toronto has an underground tunnel system that was to be used in case nuclear weapons were ever used on Toronto or if the neighboring Pickering Nuclear Power Plant had an accident.

I'm curious, is it common for universities to have underground tunnel system? Are there any in the United States? What's the point of them?

I attended the University of Arizona for four years. I believe we have the most extensive underrgound tunnel system in the entire southwest (someone stop me if im wrong). Our tunnels are connected to every building on campus as well as local convience stores. I never thought it was true until my friend took some pictures from the underground.

The university I attend, East Central in Okahoma has a nuclear fallout shelter under it. I'm not sure how extensive it is but at least 3 or 4 building are linked by it I believe. Lots of new buildings have gone up in the last dozen years and I have no clue if they are linked. I've asked abiout it but hardly anyone knows what if anything is down there or if it's even kept up with. I may have to do some investigating

Cameron

Carleton University in Ottawa has a very extensive system of tunnels, accessible to students and well used. Student lockers line some of the walls, and at one intersection there's even a small coffee/sandwich stand with a few tables. I believe it connects most, if not all, of the buildings. Much of it is also lined with very creative murals donated by the students over the years. And yes, its a great thing to have when its -20 outside!

The univercity of Calgary is totaly connected by tunnels,you can go all over most of the campus underground.Its great in the winter time

the U of MN in minneapolis built a rather large libray underground. said they needed to save/preserve millions on books ect.. a couple of links the structure
the reasons

i don't know.......sounds sorta .....'fishy'........who knows.....

Interesting...before I read the links I would have thought that could have been built in the cold war days/height of public nuclear fear. Lots of those old shelters have probably become random storage or places to preserve old materials. That seems like an odd way, not to mention really expensive way, to preserve library materials.

Cameron

Oral Roberts University in Tulsa Oklahoma, has an extensive underground tunnel system as well. The rumor was that it was built, so Oral could go from place to place on campus without being seen etc..

Tom Sawyer

I've always wondered what use these university tunnel networks could have. Some I realize are just (or at least in part) for pedestrian access between buildings, or old fallout bunkers, but what about all those 'steam tunnels' and maintenance tunnels that are around? What's the point? Is there a central boiler-room or something that buildings connect to instead of each having their own? Just seems odd to have all those tunnels under practically every university.

Laurentian University is where I went, once upon a time. It has a fair bit of underground tunnel- for instance, the library, science building, and lecture halls are all connected by a series of tunnels, each with branching side tunnels and various departments. The neuroscience Lair was the only one I ever saw, because I only had one year to explore it. Sure kept me warm in the -40 C weather, though.

DE

Their primary purpose is for utility and communcations networks between campuse buildings. They are warm because high-pressure steam is usually routed down there as well to provide heat for campus buildings during the fall/winter.

I have attened two universities thus far, and been down in the steam tunnels for both of them. My current univiersity is in a small town (~20,000 people), and the central plant provides heat for buildings throughout town, all connected via tunnels.

If you plan on diving at your local university, know that it can get dangerous down there. They typically aren't meant for continuous habititation, and a few universities even vent high-pressure steam in the tunnels, which can cause serious burns. Asbestos is also a constant hazard. Also be aware that neither the universities or the local police are very fond of this activity, and it is not unusual for your first offence to land you an expulsion if caught.

EDIT:
I was almost caught exploring the tunnels at both universities due to some well-concealed motion detectors. I came out of the ground at 1:00 in the morning only to find a fac-ops worker 50 feet behind me yelling for me to stop. Didn't get caught, but it is a very real possibility.

[edit on 11/11/04 by para]

WhyEVER would a FINE, UPSTANDING Christian man like Reverend Roberts feel the need to move about unseen? Does he have something to HIDE?

the Univ of Kentucky has an extensive tunnel system as well, with bomb shelters/fall out shelters in some of teh dorms... the official explaination is that its for maintenence work and steam venting, but I find it hard to believe that that much steam vents from all over campus all the time with the tunnels not being fairly massive...

the most logical explaination(to me) is that they were built for a worst case scenario involving a nuclear war or something like that, and the underground access was to make routes more direct, or something along those lines

Yea, we usually call them sewers where we live.

Though I'm not talking about a university. This is related. My High School has an extensive underground network. It is restricted to any students or non-staff persons. I always wondered why there are security guards in the front enterance.

[edit on 18-11-2004 by BurningAces]

I have done work at several hospitals, colleges, universities and High Schools that have tunnel systems. Primarily, they house the maintainence offices, records, boilers, electrical distribution systems/generator switches, phone and cable raceways and steamlines. At Western State in Gunnison, Colorado there is a fairly complex system connecting every building.
In general, they are dirty and nasty places. You very well could get burned by steam if you get in the wrong area. And let me tell you this: those steam lines are hot, really hot.

No real conspiracy as far as I know, unless you account for 'ol Mr. Roberts.

BG

There was a tunnel system at my high school as well. Me and a few friends made it down there once but only for a few minutes, it was essentially the same thing that I saw at the universities. It most likley has to do with your school's layout; if there are many seperate buildings, the most efficient way to shuttle utilites back and forth is via tunnels. They also leave a path for future improvements, saving the school from digging things up if a new network or utility needs to be implemented in all the buildings.

As for the security gaurds, I imagine it is to keep explorers like you and me out. Also, with the school shootings and post 9/11 environment we live in, they are probably seen as a homeland security issue or something like that. In fact, early this year a UT student who filed a FOIA about his university's tunnels was met at his dorm by both the FBI and Secret Service:
www.dailytexanonline.com...

You are right, and those places underground are not really all storing AC machines as the officials claimed.

Duke University has one. It was built in the 1960s and is basically a fallout shelter.

I went down into it w/ some friends years back and we raided a few of the old forgotten supplies.

Alot has probably changed, though, as that was 20 years ago.

Maybe there are access ways that allow him to enter other buildings via the Women's Showers or something? "I have sinned against you" blubber blubber blubber