A drone will explore an unseen section of the historic Sutro Tunnel this week, giving restoration teams a first look at parts of the landmark that have been inaccessible since the late 1970s.
Friends of Sutro Tunnel Charity has partnered with Flyability, a company specializing in indoor drone flights, to map an additional 500 feet of the tunnel. The area has been blocked since a partial collapse decades ago.
The drone will use LiDAR technology to create survey-grade 3D images of the tunnel. The data will help the charity guide restoration work and assess safety.
The flight also hopes to locate a dam built by Houston Oil and Minerals in 1979 and study the tunnel’s soil composition for future plans, following the original designs of Adolph Sutro.
A Prussian immigrant and entrepreneur, Sutro proposed building a drainage adit to efficiently remove water from the Comstock Mines, reduce transportation costs, ventilate the mines, and protect miners' lives.
The Sutro Tunnel connects to the historic Savage Mine and is now preserved by the Friends of Sutro Tunnel with a focus on maintaining the landmark’s historical integrity.
For more information, visit thesutrotunnel.org.
