Tunneling under the hudson
One hundred years ago today … The Hudson River Vehicular Tunnel, connecting lower Manhattan and New Jersey, was in its third day of construction, ground having been broken two days earlier.
Daily News, 11 October 1920, p.2. Chronicling America.
(The above sequence is a bit over-complicated; it is in keeping with the Daily News headline of October 11 that uses the past tense to describe something about to happen the next day.)
The New-York Historical Society offers a short video documentary, "How Was the Holland Tunnel Built?"
Officials from both states participated in the groundbreaking ceremony.
Daily News, 13 October 1920, p.1 Chronicling America.
New York Sun and Herald, 24 October 1920, p.58. Chronicling America.
Also present was the chief designer, Clifford M. Holland, pictured here at the October 12 ceremony with his assistant, J.M. Snow (on left). Holland died on October 27, 1924, three days before the tunnel opened. It was subsequently named for him.
To some, the big deal was going to be the effect on real estate on the Manhattan side.
New York Times, 29 October 1920, p.23. Chronicling America.
To others, it was the revolutionary design, including the ventilation system, of what was then the longest continuous vehicular tunnel ever constructed, .
New York Sun and Herald, 31 October 1920, p.24. Chronicling America.
One innovation that did not happen: a double-decker tunnel, as had been originally proposed, based on a design by George W. Goethals, who had engineered the Panama Canal.
“Dual :evel Hudson River Tunnel Proposed by Panama Canal Engineer.” Knowol.com.
Before 1919, New York and New Jersey had planned an above-ground crossing. After the change in plans, work on the tunnel began rather quickly, considering the size of the project. In comparison, the Gateway Project, which would create several NYC/NJ Hudson River crossings, passed the proposal stage in 2011, and is currently being held up by the Federal Government.
WRITTEN BY JONATHAN GOLDMAN, OCTOBER 14, 2020
TAGS: technology, transportation, commerce, real estate, automobiles, New Jersey, Gateway, ventilation