The three major sections of the tunnel system are connected under the building at 919 Milam Street in downtown Houston.



• Seventy-seven buildings are connected as part of the tunnel system.
• The tunnel system was designed to provide shelter from the summer heat as well as rain showers throughout the year.
• Wells Fargo Plaza building is the only one that offers direct access from the street to the tunnel, otherwise entry to the tunnels is only from inside the buildings via escalators or elevators.
• Six blocks of the St. Joseph Medical Center are connected by skywalks at the southeast corner of downtown near the Pierce elevated.
• Most of the tunnel is not owned by the city of Houston but by building owners who lease space in their buildings’ lower levels to retailers. Property owners are responsible for decorating their sections of the tunnel so it’s obvious when you’re leaving one building to another building.
• Since the tunnel system is designed to support downtown businesses during the work week, it is not open on the weekend.
• Property owners maintain security in their buildings and also have cameras that monitor pedestrian traffic.

The first tunnels were built in the 1930s and over the years, other buildings were added. The building boom during the 1970s and 1980s motivated private developers to expand the tunnel to most of its current form.



Link to PDF of Houston Tunnel System

http://www.downtownhouston.org/site_media/uploads/attachments/2011-04-01/Above__Below_Map_2010_Rusk_Tunnel.PDF



The downtown Tunnel System is an interconnected series of restaurants, shops, etc. servicing all those who wish to avoid the characteristic Houston weather, while walking around in air conditioned comfort over the course of several miles.

Access to the Tunnel System is normally on weekdays, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Bob Lanier Public Works building, pictured above right, is one of the westernmost buildings with access to the tunnel system. For tunnel system maps, visit the www.houstondowntown.com website.