The creek that feeds this drain should be a familiar site to anyone who has driven along Highway 403 in Hamilton... Chedoke Creek runs parallel to the highway right up until Aberdeen Ave, just as the 403 begins it's ascent up the escarpment. Acting primarily as a culvert to carry the creek under Main and King Streets, the double box tunnel (reminiscent of a subway tunnel) is uninteresting.
Location | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Highway 403 & Main St. | ||||||
(Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) | ||||||
Built | Status | Difficulty | ||||
Unknown | Active (Non-Public Access) | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ | ||||
Hazards Risk | Security Risk | AUE Rating | ||||
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ | ||||
Hazard Observations | Security Observations | |||||
Flash Flood Potential | None Specified |
What is interesting, however, is the branch leading off the box tunnels halfway through. This branch features unique construction (steel plated horseshoe-shaped), leading on a couple hundred meters to a large room with a large door on one side, and a ledge about fifteen feet up in front of you... the Wall of Anguish.
When we went this part of the drain, it was very clean and looked like it had recently been washed out. That was lucky for us, since it actually is part of a CSO drain (like many drains in the Hammer)... and up on top of the wall was a passage that led to CSO sewage reservoir. We didn't take the time to ascend the wall to take a look, preferring to stay in the lower, cleaner regions and work on photography there.
Will I ever return and ascend the wall? Maybe. Only time will tell.
Thanks have to be given where they are due... both makewiththebits and le_button_m happened to either shine their light in the right direction at the right time, or take the time to setup the lights for some excellent shots.