KENNESAW - The city of Kennesaw is getting close to making the long-awaited pedestrian underpass a reality.

The 141-foot-long pedestrian underpass would allow access from the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History to the downtown area without crossing over the railroad tracks.

The city is currently accepting bids for the project, with all proposals due by Nov. 26.

Mayor Mark Mathews said if all entities, including the Georgia Department of Transportation, sign off on the proposal, construction could begin early next year.

"This would be a great way to start 2009," he said. "We're all anxious to see how the bids come in."

Funding for the estimated $3.1 million underpass project - including $1.6 million from the Atlanta Regional Commission and $1.5 million in federal funding secured by U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-east Cobb) - is already on hand.

The 8-foot-high underpass tunnel will be L-shaped, slowly declining at the depot and turning under the CSX railroad's four tracks toward Main Street. The underpass will be wheelchair accessible.

The project was originally proposed following the 1996 Olympics, Mathews said.

City officials said the underpass will benefit downtown life, especially during festivals.

The city's downtown is home to dozens of community festivals and events, including the annual Big Shanty Festival in the spring. When a CSX train comes through during the event, it cuts the event in half.

On Monday, the City Council approved a conceptual design by Atlanta-based MacTec engineering firm for a Main Street plaza entrance to the underpass.

"The plaza is something we've been working on to try to make the Main Street entrance different from just a concrete tunnel," Mathews said. "We want it to reflect our history and heritage."

The design is purely conceptual, Economic Development Director Bob Fox said. Everything is dependent on any available funds remaining after the construction of the underpass.

The plaza, about 40 feet by 100 feet, would include benches, lighting and landscaping.

To tie in with the city's locomotive heritage, Fox said they've contacted someone in North Carolina who is willing to donate an old-fashioned railroad push car that would restored, Fox said, and placed in the plaza if the city moves forward with the plan.

During the Great Locomotive Chase, where Union spies stole the General Locomotive, the train's conductor and several Confederate soldiers first pursued the spies on a push car.

The city is having mural reprints of paintings done by Wilbur G. Kurtz line the underpass. The murals tell the story of the Great Locomotive chase.

"The plaza will just tie the whole story together," he said.

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