The Rocky Branch Trail crosses under Dawson and McDowell Streets near Washington Elementary School. Eight feet high and ten feet wide, the tunnel paces out at about seventy five yards. Not the place one would expect for a mural, especially given the fact that it only takes about twenty seconds to pass through on a bike. Being a tunnel, by definition, there aren’t any spots to step back and take in the work, so it isn’t a typical installation. But with a joint commission by the City of Raleigh and Merge Capitol, which will be developing a nine acre property adjacent to the west end of the tunnel, Raleigh artist Taylor White has transformed the urban grotto into a channel of light and color. The installation is scheduled to be completed in early 2021 with an LED system of lights that will progressively light the tunnel and mural as an observer progresses through the tunnel. The tunnel flanges offer more traditional contemplation options as her work spills out around the corners into the light of day.
