For the last 30 years, it's a project local leaders in Fort Worth have waited to see, another way to connect downtown and the Near Southside.
On Wednesday morning, the project officially got underway to bring traffic under Interstate 30 and four Union Pacific Railroad tracks.
The turning of dirt is nothing new for either neighborhood, but getting to and from those areas can be a bit challenging at times.
"Hemphill (Street) is really the main drag for the southside and it basically just stops here," said Bob Bass, a local businessman and downtown leader.
Bass has long been involved with transforming Fort Worth. He helped create the Central Business District Association, a pre-cursor to Downtown Fort Worth Inc., and pushed for I-30's relocation south of the post office.
"Part of the mediation was that they built this section of their highway as a bridge so it would allow the future connection," Bass said.
That future is now, with work started to connect Hemphill Street at Vickery to Lamar Street at West Lancaster Avenue with a four-lane roadway. The new tunnel will also feature public art, large pedestrian friendly sidewalks and bike lanes.
While there are tunnels connecting downtown via Jennings Street and South Main Street to Commerce, those connections were built back in the 1930s and aren't bicycle friendly.
"This is going to have a guardrail with a wide sidewalk for pedestrian interaction, you can ride your bike to get through it and it's going to be very well lit," said Paul Paine, president of Fort Worth South Inc.
Paine says his southside neighborhood and downtown are the top two economic neighborhoods in the city and that infrastructure matters.
"That connectivity between these two economic giants is critical," he said.
The Medical District has helped fuel investment into the Near Southside, adding restaurants and businesses that cater to the walking and cycling crowd that has embraced the area. Along West Vickery, there is already new residential development going up and more is expected once the connection is complete.
On the south end of downtown, West Lancaster is also seeing construction fences and work, as the Pinnacle Bank building started work last month and more developments are in the works, as well.
The $12 million project will do more than just complete the decades old vision, it will keep the city's economic engines roaring.
"It's very important," said Paine.
"And it's so exciting that it's finally getting connected," Bass said.
The connector project started work early last month. It will likely take two years to finish.
