I've known about this drain for a while, one of my co-workers had actually told me about it. I spent a lot of time studying topographical maps and aerial photographs, trying to figure out where this drain went. My research didn't lead me anywhere, so one summer afternoon I just said 'screw it, I'll find out the old-fashioned way'. I hopped in my truck, headed across town, and climbed down to the drain entrance.

Now, let me just say that I'm terrible at mapping underground places. Especially storm drains. Especially from memory. I couldn't tell you where this drain runs to save my life. But anyways...

The first half of the drain is really cool... Pretty wide, with old stone walls. I wish I knew when it was built. Even some of the smaller drains branching off to the sides are stone. This stone section slowly curves in sort of an "S" shape, then suddenly changes to a pair of newer cast concrete rectangular pipes (just like in the Emmet Street Drain). These concrete pipes make a confusing series of 45 and 90 degree turns... I swear, whoever designed Charlottesville's storm drains was on LSD. A number of manholes let in beams of light, occasionally illuminating the floor of the drain. The constant "thunk, thunk" of car tires on manhole covers let me know whenever I was passing under a street. Eventually, I came to the end of the drain... The pair of parallel tunnels emptied out into a small concrete pit in the ground, surrounded by a chain-link fence.. From here, there's another drain continuing one beneath a residential area, but it is much shorter in height, and would be unpleasant to explore.

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