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juno
 |  | Biggest tunnels?
< on 7/16/2008 11:19 PM >
|  | | | Hey, is there a way of telling what the storm drainage tunnels will look like/be shaped like/ or how they will be sized just from looking at the street?
Does a 4 lane street necessarily have a bigger tunnel underneith rather than a 2 lane residential street? Or is is only the ones closes to a major outlet or stream?
Do the bottoms of hills have bigger tunnels from all of the pipes dropping into the same spot? Will highways have big sewers to prevent flooding?
And lastly which is a bit off topic. How do I find big rooms, maybe where all of the drains lead to? I want to be able to stand up straight when I'm exploring!
Thanks everybody,
Zeroh
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shotgun mario
  
location:
MSP
Gender: Male
MSP Elite™ Card-Carrying Member
| |  | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 1 on 7/17/2008 12:25 AM >
|  | | | First--- if you think it's easy to track down a lot, it's not. I've spent at least 30 hours hunting already, and who knows how long some of the older members spend.
Here's the tips I gave to a friend who's starting to look on the west coast. I will write this one time and one time only:
-scan coastlines with the best available satellite images you can get; looking for water spilling down from the shore, tunnel shapes, riverbeds, etc.
***see below
-google/yahoo for keywords in combinations [storm drains, sewer drain, *town name*, pollution, e coli, beaches, human waste, etc.]
-look in newspapers and TV channel websites and such about drains not working
properly or flooding, especially around spring
-search online archives [proquest, EBSCOhost, etc.] if you are a student or have access to these, especially about past upgrades to sewer systems, splitting of combination sewers, hookups, drainage plans, etc.
-browse other UE websites, and be sure to look it up in google or archive.org caches if the page is no longer available.
-look in parks that are adjacent or intersecting bodies of water
-mentally retrace routes and try and 'look' for possible drains, then go there and confirm/deny this
-look for rivers on maps that abruptly end or appear, especially through DNR or state-level. Sometimes cities won't draw in artificial streams they use to reroute, even if above ground.
-look at topographic maps for hills that rainwater would naturally follow
-look at streets for unexplained curves on either side.
-hunt down old maps
-go to the library or archives
-go to city hall, engineers firm, civil planners, etc.
-try and get info from private companies hired by towns & cities
-pop some manholes
-pay a utility worker
***For this, try using a combination of Google Earth, Local Live bird eye, and Google Maps Street view. Do not use street view in Google Earth, as it is prone to crashing, and use Google Earth placemarks to remember all the locations. I also use an addon that will open the available location in one of the other major maps, making it much easier to work between the 4:
http://bbs.keyhole...ge/vc/fpart/1/vc/1
That's all I have for now.
If you want to protect the locations you love to explore, don't talk about them online in public!
If you want to make exploring friends, send people private messages! Meet up in real life! Get off the internet!
Don't try to have a UER e-penis! You won't impress anyone! This especially means you, Minneapolis MN newbies! |
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trent
    
I'm Trent! Get Bent!
location:
Drainwhale hunting
Gender: Male
Not on UER anymore.
| | | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 2 on 7/17/2008 12:58 AM >
| | | | Posted by juno
Hey, is there a way of telling what the storm drainage tunnels will look like/be shaped like/ or how they will be sized just from looking at the street?
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Generally no. Unless your area has unique manhole covers which designate first, that it's a drain not not a utilty company or sanitary sewer tunnel. All I know about is my area which uses the same manhole for almost all of the drains. Though you can get some good clues by other things like gutter collection boxes or some other exotic above grade structures.
Does a 4 lane street necessarily have a bigger tunnel underneith rather than a 2 lane residential street?
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Nope, not at all. Possible yes, necessarily, no.
Or is is only the ones closes to a major outlet or stream?
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Generally yes. Smaller systems keep merging into bigger and bigger flows as it's closer to the exit point. Generally.
Do the bottoms of hills have bigger tunnels from all of the pipes dropping into the same spot? |
It all depends on many things.
Will highways have big sewers to prevent flooding?
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They may have drains, but often times not intersting. Usually the more interesting drains are the larger ones that everything flows into, really old ones, or ones with unique features. Most of the highway one's I've seen are too small to explore.
And lastly which is a bit off topic. How do I find big rooms, maybe where all of the drains lead to? I want to be able to stand up straight when I'm exploring! |
Research, research, research.
EDIT: Who put that Submit button there? I wasn't ready yet.
[last edit 7/17/2008 1:00 AM by trent - edited 1 times]
He who rules the underground, rules the city above.
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metawaffle
 
King of Puns
location:
Brisbane!
Gender: Male
Purveyor of Fine Lampshades
| | | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 3 on 7/17/2008 1:13 AM >
| | | | Posted by shotgun_mario
-pay a utility worker
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Now *that's* an approach I hadn't even considered! Nice thinking 
http://www.longexposure.net |
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programmer437
location:
Columbia, SC; Charlotte, NC
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 4 on 7/17/2008 1:27 AM >
| | | | I'd have to say no. The largest tunnel I've seen had a simple creek running through it. The creek took up a very small part of the tunnel; I have no clue why it was so wide/tall.
I guess you are more likely to find larger drains along larger rivers and near larger systems, but it's not always the case.
Now as far as finding the big rooms, just start following the flow downstream. Often times, other drains will merge with the one your in, leading to some big open spaces.
One such space below, it was where a few creeks flowed together underground. The ceiling was about 8 feet high; more than enough to stand up in. The tunnels running into the area were neck-breakers.
"I don't care if you're urban explorers or urban infiltrators or URBAN LEGENDS!" |
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Dougo
Wrong account -- Look for other Doug
location:
Victoria, Australia
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 5 on 7/18/2008 1:08 AM >
| | | | A lot depends on the overall lay out.
If there is a massive river that runs along parallel to the sea, there is not likely to be a major drain between the two regardless of how major the roads are.
In Australia lots if large drains are under linear parks.
Here is a document from the founder of the Sydney Cave Clan.
http://www.urbex.o...oach/approach.html
A few bits and pieces are outdated, but it's a great help.
Cheers,
Doug
FacialBook is killing online forums. |
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tholcomb
location:
Chattanooga, TN
Gender: Male
Captain Baghead!
| | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 6 on 7/18/2008 7:26 AM >
| | | | Posted by juno
Hey, is there a way of telling what the storm drainage tunnels will look like/be shaped like/ or how they will be sized just from looking at the street?
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On some GIS maps, Wiki it, it shows.
(OMG coords in public zomgz zomgz delete this post)
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\/adder
location:
DunkarooLand
Gender: Male
I'm the worst of the best but I'm in this race.
| | | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 7 on 7/18/2008 9:33 AM >
| | | | Posted by juno
Hey, is there a way of telling what the storm drainage tunnels will look like/be shaped like/ or how they will be sized just from looking at the street?
|
No. They should follow the general shape of the street, but no guarantees.
Does a 4 lane street necessarily have a bigger tunnel underneith rather than a 2 lane residential street? Or is is only the ones closes to a major outlet or stream?
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Nope. They're made for water management it all depends on the water table.
Do the bottoms of hills have bigger tunnels from all of the pipes dropping into the same spot? Will highways have big sewers to prevent flooding?
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Not necessarily. They're not all built alike.
And lastly which is a bit off topic. How do I find big rooms, maybe where all of the drains lead to? I want to be able to stand up straight when I'm exploring!
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Best answer I can give: Look for manholes with covers clearly marked "DRAIN","STORM","STORMWATER",etc. Drains with manholes usually are larger and can fit a person (otherwise why would they have manholes?) Where I live (CT) there is a drain in front of my house but the outlet pipes are less than 2 feet wide and no manholes (And it's flooded four times since I've lived here.)
[/quote]
"No risk, no reward, no fun."
"Go all the way or walk away"
escensi omnis... |
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Bennedetto
location:
West Coast Represent
Gender: Male
Get your mind outta the gutter!
| | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 8 on 7/18/2008 5:57 PM >
| | | | In regards to that huge list of ways to find drains I have a much simpler solution.
Get in contact with your municipal government and find someone who works in city planning, water management, etc and ask for a map. This map shows you the diameter of the drains, where they meet up, entrances, etc.
Done and done.
(If any of you say that its not that easy, you haven't tried. It took me about 3 minutes to get a map printed at 38" by 72" for free.)
A.U.M.C. 4 Life! |
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trent
I'm Trent! Get Bent!
location:
Drainwhale hunting
Gender: Male
Not on UER anymore.
| | | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 10 on 7/18/2008 8:52 PM >
| | | | I'm thinking about purchasing the official GIS set from my county for like $20.
The thing I don't like about it though is that I'm required to give them my drivers license number along with the request form and check.
It's probably no big thing, but I'm a privacy nut and it bothers me.
He who rules the underground, rules the city above.
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metawaffle
King of Puns
location:
Brisbane!
Gender: Male
Purveyor of Fine Lampshades
| | | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 11 on 7/19/2008 7:11 AM >
| | | | Posted by shotgun_mario
but what's the fun in that?
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Yeah! It's such a buzz to nut out the geography and finally find something - why would you want to give that up?!
http://www.longexposure.net |
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Capt Canada
Gender: Male
| | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 12 on 7/28/2008 8:28 AM >
| | | | My biggest... 5.1 meters, just shy of 16 feet.
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KublaKhan
location:
Edinburgh, Scotland
With Satan, it's always gimmie, gimmie.
| | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 13 on 7/28/2008 9:42 PM >
| | | | All excellent suggestions.
Here's another: talk to a few homeless street people. If there are tunnels in your town, they'll know about them. Pay for their tips. It's worth it.
"The truth is knowable. But probably not, ever, incontrovertible."
--Don DeLillo
PICS |
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trent
I'm Trent! Get Bent!
location:
Drainwhale hunting
Gender: Male
Not on UER anymore.
| | | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 14 on 7/28/2008 11:54 PM >
| | | |
Haha, it's like fish stories among drainers...
A few years ago I was out in the city with some friends. We turn around a corner and BAM! Walked right into a 26 foot diameter, err radius, a fucking 26' radius tunnel man! Fucking 52 feet wide! It was ridiculous! We walked down that things for ever. Musta be at least a 1000 miles man. And guess where we came out of the tunnel? Fuckign JTColfax's back yard man. He was there yelling something about hog jowls. I dunno... But 52 feet man!
---
Seriously, that's a cool pic. Why are you wearing what looks like socks with no shoes though?
He who rules the underground, rules the city above.
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Capt Canada
Gender: Male
| | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 15 on 7/29/2008 3:40 PM >
| | | |
| Why are you wearing what looks like socks with no shoes though? |
I was wearing white running shoes, with white socks. That was some damn cold water.
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pezking4
location:
Raleigh, NC
Gender: Male
| | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 16 on 7/29/2008 4:10 PM >
| | | | Posted by TrentReznor
And guess where we came out of the tunnel? Fuckign JTColfax's back yard man. He was there yelling something about hog jowls. I dunno... But 52 feet man!
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Hah!!
I become capability. I become the horror. What we know we can become only in our heart of darkness. It's my gift. It's my curse. |
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musket boy
location:
Maui
Gender: Male
It smells like your grandpa and your feet stick to the floor
| |  | | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 17 on 7/29/2008 4:25 PM >
| | | | 
[last edit 7/29/2008 4:26 PM by musket boy - edited 1 times]
uering |
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trent
I'm Trent! Get Bent!
location:
Drainwhale hunting
Gender: Male
Not on UER anymore.
| | | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 18 on 7/29/2008 5:37 PM >
| | | | Wow, nice pic.
Only in Texas! I was actually down this earlier this summer. Everyone drives pickup trucks down there. It's crazy.
Any idea where a tunnel that large leads to/from?
He who rules the underground, rules the city above.
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musket boy
location:
Maui
Gender: Male
It smells like your grandpa and your feet stick to the floor
| | | | Re: Biggest tunnels?
<Reply # 19 on 7/31/2008 7:20 PM >
| | | | Posted by TrentReznor
Wow, nice pic.
Only in Texas! I was actually down this earlier this summer. Everyone drives pickup trucks down there. It's crazy.
Any idea where a tunnel that large leads to/from?
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they built a mall parking lot on top of a river so there are three of these parallel to each other, they're about half a mile long
uering |
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