Flyer file photo

The Meadow Valley Trail tunnel under Garland Avenue is temporarily closed for repairs.

The sump pump under the tunnel failed after nearly nine years of service, which left the trail surface underwater after a recent rain storm.

Trail users can cross at West Knapp Drive, but are advised to use caution as cross traffic does not have a stop sign.

Meadow Valley Trail was officially opened in summer 2012. The 2.3-mile trail runs west from Scull Creek Trail to Porter Road near the Interstate 49 interchange, providing a link between the backbone of the city’s trail system and the neighborhoods to the west of I-49.

One of the trail’s biggest highlights is the tunnel under Garland Avenue (Arkansas Highway 112) that measures 12 feet wide and 10 feet tall. The 270-foot tunnel stretches from Agri Park on the east side of Garland to the Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Arena on Knapp Drive near the entrance of the Washington County Fairgrounds.

It was the city’s first tunnel built exclusively for trail users. Up until that time, the tunnels on the Fayetteville trail system were existing storm drains that were adapted to allow for bike and pedestrian use.