Collections Item Detail

2011.052

Lukacs, Claire

Gift

Museum Collections. Gift of a Friend of the Museum.

n/a

1936 - 1936

Date(s) Created: 1936 Date(s): 1936

Good

Notes: Archives 2011.052.0231 HOLLAND TUNNEL THE FAMOUS LINK BETWEEN NEW JERSEY AND NEW YORK FROM 12th STREET, JERSEY CITY TO CANAL STREET, NEW YORK CITY - CONTROLLED AND OPERATED AS A PUBLIC TRUST BY THE PORT OF NEW YORK AUTHORITY - HOLLAND TUNNEL - The world's busiest vehicular tunnel, named in memory of its Chief Engineer, the late Clifford M. Holland, passes under the Hudson River at the Port of New York, between 12th Street, Jersey City, N. J., and Canal Street, New York, N. Y. It provides direct access for vehicular traffic between New Jersey and lower Manhattan, and offers a short route to and from Brooklyn, Queens, and the rest of Long Island, via the Brooklyn, Man- hattan, and Williamsburg Bridges over the East River. The Holland Tunne! consists of two tubes, one for eastbound and one for westbound traffic, each two lanes wide. The tubes were built by the "shield method" of construction, a steel cylinder, known as the tunnel shield, being employed to bore through the river bed. The tunnel is built of cast iron, in the form of rings 2 feet 6 inches long, each made up of fifteen segmental castings. Inside this cast iron ring is a lining of concrete 19 inches thick. The road- ways are paved with granite blocks. The side walls are faced with white vitreous tile, in which markers are set at quarter mile points and at the New York-New Jersey state line. The tunnel is ventilated by the "distributive" method. Fresh air is supplied at all points through- out the length of the tunnel, just above the pave- ment surface, and vitiated air is removed through openings located at frequent intervals in the ceiling. Air is brought into the tunnel through a duct beneath the roadway, and is removed through a similar duct above the ceiling. Air is moved through each of these ducts by means of blower and exhaust fans located in four ventilation build- ings, two on the New York side of the river and two on the New Jersey side. On the average, the air remains in the tunnel only 1 1/2 minutes as it slowly rises from the roadway level to the ceiling. Electric power is used for operation of ail of the fans. The Holland Tunnel was constructed by the States of New York and New Jersey, acting through State Commissions. Construction was begun on October 12,1920, and the tunnel was opened to traffic on November 13, 1927. In Apri 1930, the States appointed The Port of New York Authority-a public body created by the States of New York and New Jersey with the consent of Congress- as their agent for operation of the tunnel, and in March, 1931, they vested full control in the Authority. An issue of $50,000,000 of Port of New York Authority bonds was sold at that time to provide funds to reimburse the two States for their investment in the project. - Tunnel Data NORTH TUNNEL - Westbound Traffic Length of Tunnel ... 9, 180 feet Distance between Portals ... 8,557 feet SOUTH TUNNEL - Eastbound Traffic Length of Tunnel ... 9,277 feet Distance between Portals ... 8,371 feet Length of Under River Portion ... 5,480 feet Width of Roadway 20 feet. Headroom 12 feet 6 inches. External Diameter of Tunnel 29 feet 6 inches and 30 feet 4 inches. Maximum Depth from Mean High Water to Top of Tunnel 72 feet. Maximum Depth from Mean High Water to Roadway 93 feet. Cast Iron and Steel Tunnel Lining 114,000 tons. Tunnel Ventilated by 84 Fans in Four Ventilation Buildings. Normal Maximum Ventilation 3,760,000 cubic feet of fresh air per minute. Traffic rules and regulations are on file and may be inspected at the general offices of the Port Authority, III Eighth Avenue, New York City. Copies may also be obtained from the toll collectors at any Port Authority facility. 36228 Status: OK Status By: dw Status Date: 2011-12-03