If you noticed a recent sidewalk closure downtown outside the Moose Jaw Centre for Arts & Culture (MJCAC), you may be wondering if it was the facade, a water main, or a heaving patch of concrete — but the answer is, in fact, related to the tunnels of Moose Jaw.
“There is a strange kind of space behind our rehearsal hall in the basement that our team affectionately refers to as ‘Mordor’, which is just a storage space, but we noticed the concrete seemed to be crumbling in there,” explained Sarah Simison, the MJCAC’s executive director.
“I talked to Derek Blais at the city and asked if an engineer should come take a look. I was a little concerned. So, the engineer came in and took a look and shut it down immediately. There was some exposed rebar, I think.”
The sidewalk was closed right away, and the deteriorating concrete has since been securely shored up until permanent repairs can be completed. The walkway is safe and re-opened.
However, the interesting thing about the event was the highlight of underground infrastructure in Moose Jaw’s downtown. The basement of the MJCAC extends outward under Main St., and it isn’t the only building with this feature.
Moose Jaw is famous for its tunnels — tours at The Tunnels of Moose Jaw are one of our biggest tourism draws. How many of those tunnels, or other subterranean features such as the MJCAC’s basement, are regularly inspected for structural soundness.
“Part of that (MJCAC) basement goes underneath the sidewalk,” explained Derek Blais, director of community services. “We had noticed, I guess, some of the rebar and whatnot from the sidewalk being exposed, so we cleared out that storage space and got it reviewed by an engineer to check on the structural stability.
“Through that, it was determined that it at risk of failing, so we had to temporarily close the sidewalk. … We had the entire foundation and structure (of the MJCAC) reviewed as part of that, and that was the only immediate priority.”
Tunnels were originally built for many purposes, including the sharing of steam for winter heating, creating weather-free walkways from the rail station to hotels and saloons during the heyday of Moose Jaw as a rail hub, and, notoriously, storing illegal liquor during Prohibition days (although almost all of those spaces were re-purposed rather than specifically built for smuggling.)
As time has passed and businesses and organizations complete renovations or upgrades, many of those tunnels have been filled with concrete. This prevents things like dangerous urban exploring, unexpected voids during construction, or potential sinkholes in areas that might not have been seen in decades.
However, anomalies from the past remain, complicating downtown projects like last summer’s water main replacement program. They could serve as a reminder to have a regular look at the dark, ‘Mordor’-like basement areas of Moose Jaw’s old buildings. Call a structural engineer if you notice delamination, discoloration, exposed rebar, or other signs of structural deterioration.