To hear it from residents who live in the neighborhood, there are definite concerns regarding the Robin Street tunnel in Dunkirk. Poor lighting and a lack of cleanliness would make many uneasy.

Adding to the worries, some have told our newspaper, is the sketchy drug deals that can happen in the pathway.

Mayor Wilfred Rosas, during his State of the City address, highlighted the problems with the tunnel and offered to make improvements. “We are contracting with DFT Communications to put in high-tech cameras and a monitor right at the police station,” Rosas said. “We’ve entered into an agreement as part of our agreement with the services that we currently receive and we’re actually going to be redoing the sidewalks on that street and some of the lines that are going to be used are going to be placed under the sidewalk. We’re also going to have better lighting in there.”

Others, including former councilman Shaun Heenan and Revitalize Dunkirk, understand there’s an importance to make this structure safer and accessible. Let’s see how this turns out.

But if there’s additional vandalism and added concerns at the site, the next step is for the city to consider shutting down the tunnel.