The Project Wide Advisory Committee will consider spending nearly $30,000 for a new structural evaluation of a troubled tunnel that has already cost The Villages more than $260,000 in repairs.
The committee will meet at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at the SeaBreeze Recreation Center to discuss a proposed $29,725 design contract for Tunnel M-18, located under Morse Boulevard on the north side of Meggison Road. The tunnel serves as a critical transportation artery connecting The Villages to the sprawling residential and commercial areas south of State Road 44.
The underpass has been a persistent headache for District Property Management since wall movement and concrete settlement were first observed in November 2023. Geotechnical investigations and ground-penetrating radar confirmed a sinkhole at the site in May 2024, prompting emergency repairs that temporarily closed the tunnel and disrupted local traffic.
Initial remediation involved a massive concrete grout injection completed by Andreyev Engineering Inc. in August 2024. Crews subsequently had to perform drainage repairs to address ground-level water seepage at the tunnel’s southwest entrance…