Three students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering created plans for an underpass for the City of Norther Liberty. The underpass is part of the final phase of a reconstruction of Ranshaw Way. The project included site selection, structural design of the site (including the tunnel, retaining walls, and the trail system), a basic plan for the aesthetics of the structures, a work plan, a cost estimate, and the identification of a traffic detour route.

The City of North Liberty requested plans for a tunnel in order to support the newly renovated 4-lane road with a center median. A tunnel is needed to create a safe connection from the developed east side of the roadway to the future commercial and residential area on the west side. Major priorities of the project include incorporation of a stormwater drainage plan, landscaping and aesthetics, and attention to a recognizable theme for the tunnel. Locating the best location for the tunnel was challenging because there is a detention pond on one side of the trail and a building on the other.