The NAU and Flagstaff Tunnels
NAU campus and Flagstaff has a series of tunnels running underneath them. The purpose for these tunnels is to transport heat from steam plants to various buildings. The NAU tunnels were built in the 1950’s. Several false rumors have emerged over the years. One of them is that the Chinese residents of Flagstaff built the tunnels to get around. While people of Chinese descent could have helped in the construction, the tunnels were not built for transport. This relates to the rumor that the tunnels were built for transporting alcohol during prohibition. The only confirmed instance of people using the tunnels to get around was an illegal gambling ring that used a short section of the tunnels to exit a basement when authorities entered the building. It is highly not recommended to enter the tunnels as they are only four feet tall and several feet wide and burning hot pipes and other utility lines run through the tunnels. Chance of injury is high.
The tunnels on campus were built sometime in the 50’s.
The reason why some sidewalks and bike lanes on campus don’t accumulate snow in the winter is because the heat from the tunnels melts the snow and ice.
It is thought that a possible entrance to the tunnels is by the science buildings on North Campus. There is a large metal grate in the middle of the walkway that may be an entrance.
The tunnels on campus belong mostly to North Campus, but there are some that extend down to South Campus.
NAU and Flagstaff have a series of tunnels running underneath them. The purpose of these tunnels is to provide heat and other utilities to buildings around Flagstaff. The Tunnels under NAU were build during the 50’s. This photo is detailing the cost of various buildings around campus. One of them is the cost for a new Power Plant and Tunnels.
This article was released after the construction for the new power plant began. It details information about the construction of the tunnels underneath campus as well as the history of previous heating methods.
This is taken out of a page of the history of NAU, detailing random events that occurred over the years. This is a mention of the completion of the power plant as well as the tunnels.