To keep up with an increasing number of students and traffic on campus, administrators at Grand Valley State University have reached out to various civil engineers across the country, seeking innovative solutions to modern problems.
This culminated in the form of the Rapid Tunnel System (RTS): a massive underground network of tunnels connecting GVSU. Once constructed, these tunnels promise to allow fast transportation between classrooms and dormitory complexes using automated scooters, revolutionizing life on campus.
Not all has been a resounding success after their completion, sadly, as a recent crisis emerged on the campus this past Tuesday morning due to the cramped confines of the tunnels and the self-driving nature of the vehicles.
The incident began due to a reported collision that occurred between two electric scooters, resulting in a blockage that proceeded to exponentially expand as more self-driving vehicles sandwiched themselves together into the large mass, completely blocking access and trapping several students inside.
Problems continued when rescue vehicles attempted to enter the tunnels, being unable to fit through the narrow passageways that led between the entrances. Matters were further complicated by the lack of space surrounding the track inside the tunnels, as designers “Didn’t want people walking in them”.
While the fate of these trapped students remains unclear, some hope is restored as rescue teams have been able to feed several phone charging cords into the confined area, allowing essential smartphone usage to the students.
Water and food are the next items to be delivered through the blockade, though the mass of lodged scooters is proving difficult to remove. Rescuers also report injuries related to the “automated vehicles” in the area, which continue to trickle in despite the network being disabled by IT teams.
Not all are impacted as drastically, however, as some students, likely feeling claustrophobic, are finding it easier to simply walk around campus, as concerns primarily stemming from the dimensions of the tunnel being remarkably “dwarf-like” have kept them from entering the network.
Moving forward, the fate of these tunnels is yet to be determined by GVSU, as many continue to speculate on the steps needed to recover from such a catastrophic tragedy and avoid such unforeseeable disasters in the future.
Progress, however, does not wait, and with the size of the investment and vision put into these tunnels, it seems unlikely that they will be abandoned just yet.
