Closing of the Rat Hole, Edmonton 2000

The Rat Hole was a tunnel in Edmonton, Alberta, constructed in 1927, that ran under a span of 22 railway tracks, connecting downtown with the north side, along 109th street. It had hazardous visibility and was very narrow. The drivers of many large trucks miscalculated the clearance; drivers of muscle cars tested the acoustics; and children begged their parents to hook the horn while going through it. It often flooded during storms and was loved and hated by generations of Edmontonians. This video records the closing parade in 2000, featuring then mayor Bill Smith.

[@Windrider6]

In the 1990s, I drove through the Rat Hole several times with a City of Edmonton 1 ton truck that had a wide box, and I was on the edge of my seat, almost literally. Then once, and only once, I drove through it with a 3 ton moving truck. I'm happy to say that I didn't contribute to the marks on the Rat Hole side wall blocks. Driving through it with a small car was a breeze!

[@sexyshit84]

Thank you CineAudioVisual. Please make more videos like these. Brings back lots of menories.

[@gabydersch1482]

I've walked through the rat hole many, many times heading home from St. Josephs High School from 1967-1970. And other times as well. Never did see a rat. 😂 Thank you for the video and memories. God Bless You. 🎬🎥📷📹

[@RichardCockerill]

funny i was in the army 67 to 70 ,okinawa..lots of rats there bud :]

[@lordmegatron65]

St Joseph's was the high school I went to from 2013 to 2016 lol. So I do recognize the area in this video quite a bit a lot of the buildings are still there.

[@revertinotse8582]

As a Youngster. Still recall the Rat Hole. Was with my Parents. As my Dad drove Down the tunnel going towards 109St & 104 Ave. Fond Memories

[@doanster]

Love your videos! Keep up the great work :)

[@DavidBale-vn4op]

Lived 4 blocks away from it. Saw what had to be the last horse drawn milk cart when I was 5 around there

[@bryce1916]

I drove through here many times but I don't miss the hassle it caused .

[@thesandsie13the2nd]

my cousins used to get stuck in it in their big rigs on a regular basis

[@GordoGambler]

I was there on the SW ramp. My dad wanted a pic of his car there. You forgot to mention cars flying over the HUMP. LOL. I mostly avoided the stupid thing.

[@MultiCappie]

Wow, this was probably the most people out on the streets Downtown at any time from 1993 until 2010 or so. I do not miss those days.

[@HerrenGamingNews]

It seems more functional than it is today! I live downtown the most people I see are in their vehicles trying to pass through asap rather than take time to visit stores, hell I live downtown but very rarely shop downtown.

[@BBINGHAM032352]

I been through the Rat Hole many times in my lifetime and several times as a pedestrian on the sidewalk through it too. Good riddance to it!

[@RichardCockerill]

very funny

[@rl5579]

I was a bike courier in downtown Edmonton back in the 80's. I used to ride through that nearly every day, and the stench was unbelievable. Fumes, stagnant water, urine, garbage, decaying animal corpses. It was a challenge to hold my breath all the way through. It deserved the name 'rat hole'

[@daniellongworth7513]

The rat hole may be gone, but most, if not all the buildings in the area are exactly the same. 2:40 as an aside, is that Doug the pushup guy?

[@spark4039]

It's gotta be him lol

[@km38334]

Fabulous music! Is that Maestro Tommy Banks?

[@stickynorth]

Ironic that with the new West LRT line going down 104 Ave and MacEwan growing ever larger by the year a new Rat Hole 2.0 will probably needed soon enough at one of the busiest corners in Alberta much less Edmonton...

[@Joey-JoJo-Jr.64]

It had to be closed because as this video shows no one was any longer adhering to the rule that you had to put your left blinker on and honk wildly while in the hole. I’m surprised I never caused any damage to vehicles while trying to “get air” while driving on top.

[@orbyfan]

How long did it take to level the road afterward? It shouldn't have taken more than a few days, but it dragged on for weeks and months.

[@litterbug1483]

The city ran into a problem they had never seen a hole so big they had to hire estimators, guesstimators and suggestimators and then s couple of consultants after much debate they decided not to build another hole to fill the rat hole so they bought the dirt from Uganda once the dirt arrived city council decided one shovel was saficant to get the job done

[@53greenhill]

There were signs at each end advising drivers to put on their headlights when entering the Rat Hole. Many did (as shown here because they were being "observed") yet I remember most either would not, or even more annoying, would put on their left turn signals because it was easier. I guess most people just have a problem with being told what to do.

[@SlavaUkraine966]

Not to mention the cars that would honk their horns as I walked through.

[@nodammit]

Oh right, the left signal! I'd completely forgotten about that...so weird.

[@FreedomFighter-cr5xg]

For some reason my stern humorless father would turn into a little kid every time we drove through the ' Rat Hole ' .. He would tell us kids the fun he used to have driving through the Rat Hole when he was a teenager ..

[@WOLFSOFBREAD]

That was awsome going through with loud exhaust blue bottles rapping right through when people were walking through man I miss them days

[@MultiCappie]

Whatever.

[@WOLFSOFBREAD]

MultiCappie do you need a hug🤔🤔

[@MultiCappie]

@@WOLFSOFBREAD Enjoying the election?

[@WOLFSOFBREAD]

MultiCappie 🤔

[@MultiCappie]

@@WOLFSOFBREAD 🤔🤔🤔

[@cap6741]

1:32 Mayor Bill Smith in the white?

[@billdang3953]

Wouldn't be surprised if it was used by more than a few Honda Civics with coffee can exhausts.

[@judgegixxer]

Loved blasting my vw bugs open header stingers thru that tunnel. lol Everyone with loud exhaust did. lol

[@MultiCappie]

Thank goodness for the Internet.

[@RichardCockerill]

old school...olden times ..better now

[@wickywoo1635]

Was this the tunnel that protesters sprayed painted "No Cruise" Missles on the front?

[@MultiCappie]

No. That was the High Level Bridge. It wasn't erased for two decades, and even then, only in the course of repainting the entire bridge in scheduled maintenance.

[@rickzombo3126]

pushup guy!

[@mattnoble1015]

Miss the Rat hole also don't miss the rat hole to bad we can't keep the old stuff plus have new stuff, Progress? Is Edmonton better now it's bigger or worst? I kinda miss the lower population Edmonton Anybody miss two way traffic on the high level bridge?

[@BBINGHAM032352]

I disagree. We don't have to keep EVERYTHING just because it used to be here. As long as there is a sufficient pictorial record available to be viewed by the public then I have no qualms about progressing toward new and better. We should just keep what is most important to preserve such as many building facades and signage. The original buildings that are kept in place should be renewed and maintained as historical landmarks but not in excess or at the expense of authentic progress.

[@UncoolNegated]

0:42 push-up guy? 🤣

[@canadians2214]

Who is picking the music for this video, very lousy have a narration instead.

[@89cgil]

Push up guy… lol

[@RichardCockerill]

lol very funny