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LUBBOCK, Texas — Beneath the campus of Texas Tech University lies a network of tunnels that has fueled curiosity and urban legends for decades. These tunnels are very real, but they were built for utilities, not exploration.
The university’s tunnel system dates back to the late 1920s. The first tunnel only carried steam at the time, according to university archives.
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The tunnels were designed for essential infrastructure like heating, cooling, water and electric systems. This allowed the university to maintain updates without constantly digging up streets and sidewalks. The student newspaper in 1999, then known as the University Daily, noted the tunnels were “windproof,” a useful feature in West Texas. The nearly seven miles of tunnels range in size from three to seven feet tall. This system is used at many major universities, archives noted…