A pedestrian tunnel in Los Angeles's Boyle Heights neighborhood, originally built to provide safe passage for schoolchildren, has deteriorated into a public health hazard and a haven for illegal activities, prompting local officials to push for its permanent closure.
District 14 City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, representing Boyle Heights, stated that the tunnel, located near Soto Street Elementary School, poses ongoing safety and sanitation risks due to accumulated trash, debris, and flooding hazards. The passageway has attracted squatters, illicit drug use, and other criminal activities.
"For years, the tunnel has presented persistent public health and safety concerns, including accumulated trash and debris, flooding and debris-flow hazards during adverse weather, and activity inside the passageway that has disrupted nearby school operations," Jurado told KTLA. "As previous efforts to adequately close the tunnel have been unsuccessful, there is an urgent need for the City to develop a permanent solution to close the tunnel."
Jurado filed a motion in February 2026 to permanently seal the tunnel. Achieving this requires an engineering evaluation, coordination among city departments, funding identification, and approval from the City Council.
Jurado's predecessor, Kevin De Leon, also attempted to address the issue, filing a similar motion in 2024. De Leon argued at the time that the tunnel had become a site for illicit activity and dangerous conditions rather than safe passage for students and parents.
Approximately 220 similar pedestrian tunnels were constructed across Los Angeles in the 1920s and 1930s, funded by voter-approved bond measures totaling over $1 million. However, by the late 1960s, many of these tunnels had fallen out of use. In 1968, the LA Board of Education's concerns about unsanitary conditions and criminal activity in these underpasses led public works officials to adopt a formal policy for their closure. While this policy resulted in the sealing of several tunnels, the remaining ones continue to be a source of concern for local communities.
Chain-link fences and gates have been installed to prevent unauthorized access, but trespassers have repeatedly breached these barriers. Inside, the tunnels are reportedly littered with feces, urine, drugs, discarded food, clothing, furniture, and sex toys, contributing to the unsanitary conditions. A sofa, children's clothing, and sex toys were among the items found inside the Boyle Heights tunnel, according to reports.
The tunnel system, initially designed to help pedestrians safely cross busy streets, has become a significant public safety issue. Jurado believes that a permanent closure will lead to safer and more accessible streets for students, educators, workers, families, and the surrounding community.