The Joe DiMaggio Highway , commonly called the West Side Highway and formerly the Miller Highway , is a 5.42-mile-long (8.72 km) mostly surface section of New York State Route 9A (NY 9A), running from West 72nd Street along the Hudson River to the southern tip of Manhattan in New York City . It replaced the West Side Elevated Highway , built between 1929 and 1951, was shut down in 1973 due to neglect and lack of maintenance, and was dismantled by 1989. North of 72nd Street, the roadway continues as the Henry Hudson Parkway .
159-578: The West Side Highway is a major road in New York City. West Side Highway may also refer to: West Side Highway The current highway was complete by 2001, but required reconstruction after the September 11 attacks that year, when the collapse of the World Trade Center caused debris to fall onto the surrounding areas, damaging the highway. It uses the surface streets that existed before
318-514: A dockworkers ' union, which was commissioned to dig the tunnel, and a sandhogs ' union, which claimed that its members were entitled to work on the project because the sandhogs specialized in building tunnels. This disagreement turned into a violent protest and multiday strike in February 1941. The next year, some union sandhog workers were banned from working on the Battery Tunnel project due to
477-472: A $ 30-million (equivalent to $ 500 million in 2023 ) federal grant so construction could start quickly. A toll of $ 0.25 per motorist, collected at the Brooklyn end, would help finance the rest of the tunnel and make it profitable. The tunnel would also halve travel time between southern Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan since, at the time, there was no direct route for traffic between these two areas. This, in turn,
636-444: A 3-lane elevated ramp between Houston and Harrison Streets; and a 9-lane boulevard with depressed ramps through Battery Park City. There would be 26 traffic lights. This proposal was assailed by mass-transit associations, environmental groups, and elected officials. In January 1987, the commission unanimously agreed to build the highway as a six-lane urban boulevard with a parkway-style median and decorative lightposts. There would be
795-402: A 60 acres (24 ha) $ 100 million park on the highway's western periphery, the latter of which was criticized by Governor Mario Cuomo as being too expensive. Afterward, there were some delays caused by Cuomo's reluctance to prioritize the project. In the meantime, the old, abandoned highway was being used by squatters . One of the first options to be rejected in 1989 was the construction of
954-462: A below-grade interstate highway, Moses proposed merely straightening and rebuilding the West Side Highway south of 59th Street. Between 59th and 72nd Streets, the site of the former Penn Central 60th Street rail yard, he proposed bringing the highway to grade and moving it eastward to allow for a waterfront park and some housing at the southeast corner of the rail yard. This was the nucleus of
1113-637: A bike path due to heavy traffic on Hudson River Park's bike lane. Despite mostly being a boulevard, with many at-grade intersections and traffic lights, some of the intersections are given exit numbers . Brooklyn%E2%80%93Battery Tunnel The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel , commonly referred to as the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel , Battery Tunnel or Battery Park Tunnel , is a tolled tunnel in New York City that connects Red Hook in Brooklyn with
1272-434: A bill authorizing the construction of the highway. Funds for the $ 11 million highway were to be procured by property assessments along the route; this was considered reasonable due to advantages gained from the highway by those living along the route. The road was to be 65 feet (20 m), five feet wider than Fifth Avenue , with a speed limit of at least 30 miles per hour (48 km/h), and would be 20 feet (6.1 m) off
1431-568: A boulevard on landfill, which was the reason for Westway's cancellation. There were also proposals for "cove" developments alongside the future boulevard. Construction began in early 1996 on the West Side Highway project. The first of the project's seven segments—between Clarkson and Horatio streets in the Greenwich Village neighborhood—was completed in 1998. Construction of the West Side Highway Replacement Project
1590-501: A bridge would be cheaper, faster, and more efficient than building a tunnel. The bridge would consist of a six-lane tandem suspension bridge span with two back-to-back suspension bridges, and it could be built in 27 months, compared to 46 months for a tunnel. One of the other benefits, in Moses's opinion, was that the $ 41-million (equivalent to $ 705 million in 2023 ) bridge would not require any federal money. Isaacs stated that
1749-525: A bridge would cause as much congestion as a tunnel would, so he did not favor the bridge plan. The Tunnel Authority also opposed the Brooklyn–Battery Bridge because a bridge would lower property values. In response, Moses predicted that the Tunnel Authority's Queens–Midtown Tunnel would not be profitable and that the Tunnel Authority should organize its existing affairs before deciding to build
SECTION 10
#17328951971951908-422: A commission was set up to discuss the alternatives. Four days later, several sections of the highway were agreed on. It would be an elevated highway north of 49th Street; an at-grade roadway between 44th and 25th Streets, including a depressed northbound roadway from 32nd to 42nd Streets; a tunnel under a park between 20th and 25th Streets; an at-grade boulevard between 20th and Houston Streets; an at-grade road with
2067-774: A disagreement with their union's parent union. Another issue arose when it was revealed that the Great New York Aquarium at Castle Clinton , at the Battery on the Manhattan side, would need to be demolished to make way for the tunnel. The aquarium considered moving to Coney Island on the southern shore of Brooklyn. To expedite construction of the tunnel, the city closed the Great New York Aquarium and moved its fish to other aquariums in September 1941. Moses advocated for
2226-657: A hearing for public opinions on the tunnel proposal, gave its permission to the tunnel plan in September 1938. The Tunnel Authority suggested that federal funding could be used to pay for the tunnel and that private financing could also be provided if it was needed. In June 1938, the city requested a $ 70.9-million (equivalent to $ 1.2 billion in 2023 ) PWA grant for the construction of the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel. The next month, La Guardia met with PWA chair Harold L. Ickes and Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) chair Jesse H. Jones to convince them to help fund
2385-624: A lack of money because, although the PWA had given the city an appropriation for the Belt Parkway, the money had been used up. Due to the PWA's refusal to grant a loan for the Battery Tunnel's construction, the project was temporarily put on hold. In January 1939, after the failure to allocate federal funds to the tunnels, Moses (now the chair of the Triborough Bridge Authority ) proposed the Brooklyn–Battery Bridge. He stated that constructing
2544-602: A leafy boulevard along the Hudson River from the northern tip to the southern tip of Manhattan. Legislation in June 1998 followed an agreement by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Governor George Pataki to create the Hudson River Park on the west side of the highway from West 59th to the Battery. The park consists of 550 acres (2.2 km ) and is the biggest park construction in the city since Central Park . A bicycle path running
2703-516: A letter from NYCRR Vice President Ira Place, stating that the railroad would reduce freight rates if the new elevated structure were built. On January 20, 1926, borough president Miller sent a plan for an $ 11 million elevated highway to be built completely on city property to the Board of Estimate. The elevated railroad was removed from the plan, since NYCRR had come up with a separate project for partially elevating and depressing their railroad (now known as
2862-489: A more forward-looking comprehensive freight distribution plan. They attacked Miller as trying to push the plan through without input from the Port Authority. The Port Authority wanted a system of inland terminals and belt-line railroads. According to Port Authority Chairman Julian Gregory, it was almost certain that NYCRR would not go along with the Port Authority plan. It was also believed that giving NYCRR elevated tracks on
3021-434: A new highway might not be required. The City Club and New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker objected to the highway on the grounds that it would block waterfront-bound freight traffic. They believed that the plans should wait until the surface railroad tracks were removed in the area, at which point the elevated highway might not be necessary. Parallels were drawn with elevated passenger railroads , which were being torn down at
3180-537: A new tunnel. Moses was able to garner support for the bridge from influential city and state politicians, including four of five borough presidents, Mayor La Guardia, and US Senator Robert F. Wagner . In early March 1939, the New York City Planning Commission endorsed plans for the Battery Bridge, and a bill for the bridge was moved to a vote in the state legislature. The bill was proposed for
3339-463: A pair on the Brooklyn side, as well as a seawall . This combined project was 63 percent complete as of a March 2018 MTA report . In 2017–2018, the tiled walls in the Queens–Midtown and Brooklyn–Battery tunnels were replaced due to damage suffered during Hurricane Sandy. The retiled white walls have gold-and-blue stripes, representing the official state colors of New York. Controversy arose over
SECTION 20
#17328951971953498-687: A plan to connect the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel to Long Island 's parkway system via a new Gowanus Parkway and Circumferential Parkway . The planned tunnel was also part of the Regional Plan Association 's proposed parkway system around New York City. The next month, the New York City Tunnel Authority advertised for bids to create test bores for the tunnel. Copies of the plans for the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel were submitted to La Guardia's mayoral administration in February 1937. Two tunnels, one in each direction, would connect to
3657-480: A professor at Swarthmore College , Pennsylvania, had a similar plan for an eight-story high boulevard. The street level and first floor would be connected to the Hudson River piers. The second and third stories would carry electric passenger trains, with the second floor carrying northbound traffic and southbound traffic using the third floor. A public garage would occupy the fourth and fifth floors, helping to pay off
3816-573: A revised plan for the bridge and asked the Department of War to reconsider. Moses and Brooklyn politicians declared that they would not accept anything other than an endorsement of the second plan. However, in July, the War Department also rejected the second plan, since the new plan would also pose a wartime hazard. Advocates for the bridge called the rejection a "setback to business". They also discounted
3975-424: A small pipe was passed through from one side to another. The pipe was then removed, and the openings covered up, to prevent drastic changes in pressure at either end of the tube. The tunnels from Manhattan and Brooklyn had connected at a point under Governors Island, with an error of 0.375 inches (0.95 cm), and work continued until there was enough assurances that the tunnels had equal pressure readings. After
4134-536: A suggestion that La Guardia and Moses refuted. The Department of War ultimately declined to endorse the Brooklyn–Battery Bridge. In May 1939 Robert Woodring, the US Secretary of War , blocked the construction of the bridge due to concerns over the span's potential to become a naval obstruction during a war, since the Brooklyn Navy Yard was located shoreward of the proposed bridge. In response, Moses submitted
4293-629: A total redesign of the tower and the relocation of its site away from the highway. There used to be four West Street pedestrian bridges , two of them erected after the September 11 attacks. A below-grade crossing of the West Side Highway connecting the Brookfield Place (formerly the World Financial Center) complex and the Concourse level of the World Trade Center opened in October 2013, allowing
4452-428: A tunnel as opposed to a bridge, while Mayor La Guardia invited the president to return for the opening ceremony in four years. Three days later, the city approved a motion to widen Hamilton Avenue from 80 to 300 feet (24 to 91 m) to make way for the Brooklyn tunnel approach, as well as awarded a contract for the tunnel's lining to Bethlehem Steel . The start of actual tunneling was delayed due to dispute between
4611-548: A vote in the City Council, but this was blocked due to concerns that the bridge's connection to the East River Drive would not be able to accommodate future traffic volumes. The American Institute of Architects asked that the city reconsider the bridge, as it would obstruct the dramatic view of the Manhattan skyline , reduce the Battery to minuscule size, and destroy the Great New York Aquarium at Castle Clinton . There
4770-540: A year of the grant being awarded. Since the Brooklyn–Manhattan tunnel project would take longer, it and other New York City highway projects were ineligible for PWA funding. In January 1936, the New York State Legislature created the New York City Tunnel Authority to oversee the construction of a tunnel between Midtown Manhattan and Queens . The bill also provided the authority with the power to build
4929-488: Is on the Henry Hudson Parkway ). Having begun at Canal Street in 1929, implementation of the elevated roadway had progressed as far as Midtown by the time that Robert Moses became NYC Parks Commissioner and took a direct interest in local projects by 1934. However, Moses created significant works extending from the north and south ends of the West Side Highway, including: In the 1960s, Moses proposed straightening
West Side Highway (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue
5088-604: Is part of the Interstate Highway System , carrying the entirety of the unsigned Interstate 478 ( I-478 ) since 1971. The tunnel originally carried New York State Route 27A (NY 27A) until 1970. In 2012, the tunnel was officially renamed after former New York Governor Hugh Carey . It is operated by MTA Bridges and Tunnels as one of the MTA's nine tolled crossings. The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel consists of two two-lane tubes, one in each direction. They pass underneath
5247-615: The BM1, BM2, BM3, and BM4 between Manhattan and Brooklyn. MTA New York City Transit operates the SIM1, SIM1C, SIM2, SIM3, SIM3C, SIM4, SIM4C, SIM4X, SIM5, SIM6, SIM7, SIM9, SIM10, SIM15, SIM31, SIM32, SIM33, SIM33C, SIM34, and SIM35 routes between Manhattan and Staten Island and the X27, X28, X37, and X38 between Manhattan and Brooklyn. A vehicular tunnel under the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn
5406-479: The Battery to 72nd Street at Riverside Drive , West End Avenue , or Amsterdam Avenue . According to Enright, "During business hours West Street [was] the most congested thoroughfare in the city. Vast quantities of the city's foodstuffs [were] handled in the territory adjacent to West Street." He cited traffic congestion as an extra cost of doing business and a blockage for fire engines . On February 2, 1925, it
5565-444: The Battery to Yonkers . A freight railroad would lie underground. On ground level would be roads alongside the corridor and an indoor enclosed sidewalk. The mezzanine, between the first and second floors, would be occupied by office space. The second floor would carry a "continuous noiseless moving platform system for passenger service", with adjacent belts moving at various speeds, for a maximum of 21 miles per hour (34 km/h) in
5724-535: The Brooklyn Eagle found that 13.86 million vehicles had used the tunnel in its first year; this was lower than Caro's estimate but higher than both the TBTA's initial estimate of 10 million vehicles per year and expert forecasts of eight million annual vehicles. Some road infrastructure projects at both ends of the tunnel were completed shortly after the tunnel opened. The first associated project to be completed
5883-486: The East River , connecting the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan to the neighborhood of Red Hook in Brooklyn . Although the tubes do not pass directly under Governors Island , that island contains a ventilation building for the tunnel. Vehicles taller than 12 feet 1 inch (3.68 m) and wider than 8 feet 6 inches (2.59 m) are prohibited from using the tubes. The tubes stretch 9,117 feet (2,779 m) from portal to portal, making them
6042-514: The High Line ). According to Miller, there were questions over who would own and maintain the dual structure. There were also objections to its height of 40 feet (12 m) and its placement at the east building line of the existing surface roads. The elevated highway was to connect to a planned parkway (now the Henry Hudson Parkway ) at 72nd Street , forming a highway free from cross traffic stretching from Canal Street to 129th Street . The elevated road
6201-590: The Javits Center from 34th Street to 38th Street and over the Lincoln Tunnel at 39th Street. The road continues past the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and Piers 84 to 92, a major cruise ship terminal building. At 59th Street , the highway becomes an elevated freeway and at 72nd Street, the highway becomes the Henry Hudson Parkway . Various proposals circulated in the 1920s to build an expressway on
6360-574: The New York Central Railroad (NYCRR)'s West Side Line ran; it was known by many as " Death Avenue " for the many crashes caused by trains and automobiles colliding. The first official proposal for an elevated highway along Manhattan's west side was made by Police Commissioner Richard Edward Enright on January 12, 1924, in a letter to the New York City Board of Estimate . The highway was to be 100 feet (30 m) wide, running north from
6519-610: The United States Army Corps of Engineers were on board for the construction with a 1981 price tag of $ 2.1 billion. But in 1982, Judge Thomas Griesa of the U.S. District Court blocked the Corps permit, saying the road would harm striped bass . His order was affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit . In August 1985, Judge Griesa ruled that state and federal agencies had provided tainted testimony regarding
West Side Highway (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue
6678-566: The Urban Development Corporation proceeded with planning and environmental studies for a relocated highway. But relocating and burying the elevated highway section became politically complicated when, at the same time, NYSDOT went ahead with its $ 70 million project to straighten, widen, and reinforce the viaduct. In 2005 Trump's majority partners sold the project to the Carlyle Group and Extell Development Company . In June 2006,
6837-584: The West Side Highway and the FDR Drive on the Manhattan side and to Hamilton Avenue on the Brooklyn side. In the future, the West Side Elevated Highway would be extended from the north, connecting to the new tunnel. There would be a ventilation tower at the midpoint on Governors Island because the tunnels would stretch 8,800 feet (2,700 m) between the two portals, and it was thought that
6996-496: The " Westway " project, which would reconstruct the West Side Highway to Interstate Highway standards . Although the project was canceled in 1985, the I-478 designation still exists and is contiguous with the entirety of the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel. However, I-478 is not posted on any public signage. Under an agreement with Verizon Wireless , the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel received cellular service in 1995. The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel
7155-489: The 1920s. Official plans to build the tunnel were submitted in 1930 but were initially not carried out. The New York City Tunnel Authority, created in 1936, was tasked with constructing the tunnel. After unsuccessful attempts to secure federal funds, New York City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses proposed a Brooklyn–Battery Bridge. However, the public opposed the bridge plan, and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) rejected
7314-539: The 1927 meeting of the Municipal Art Society . He disapproved of its ugliness and noise, and suggested simply clearing obstructions to the existing surface road to speed traffic. Adams instead supported a comprehensive regional plan for development in the Hudson Valley . The Fine Arts Federation also opposed the highway, saying that elevated structures were unsightly, and that if the existing street were cleared
7473-528: The Battery in Manhattan . The tunnel consists of twin tubes that each carry two traffic lanes under the mouth of the East River . Although it passes just offshore of Governors Island , the tunnel does not provide vehicular access to the island. With a length of 9,117 feet (2,779 m), it is the longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel in North America. Plans for the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel date back to
7632-594: The Battery Bridge plan, Moses and La Guardia appealed directly to President Roosevelt to form an independent committee to study the proposal. Moses again revised the plan, adding a ramp to Governors Island so the Army forces could also use the bridge, in a fashion similar to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge 's connection to the Army reservation on Yerba Buena Island in California. However, Roosevelt upheld
7791-469: The Battery Tunnel north to Atlantic Avenue, opened the same day. At the time, the Brooklyn Eagle described the Battery Tunnel as "the nation's largest, most modern underwater vehicular tunnel", which took three minutes to traverse from end to end. The Eagle also estimated that the tunnel cost $ 736 per inch ($ 290/cm) (equivalent to $ 7,394 per inch ($ 2,911/cm) in 2023 ) that was built. With a cost of $ 80 million (equivalent to $ 804 million in 2023 ),
7950-467: The Battery in order to build a seawall , and, as a result of the downsizing of the Battery, an architect was hired to study the redesign of the park. This, in turn, led to a public competition for potential park redesigns. In August 1940, the city filed plans for two drawbridges across the Gowanus Canal as part of the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel approach project. The US Army officially approved plans for
8109-588: The Battery, Manhattan, as well as a $ 2.3-million (equivalent to $ 39.7 million in 2023 ) bridge over the Gowanus Canal. The city approved these plans in January 1936. One civic group wanted to plan for future traffic volumes, so it asked the city to conduct further studies of the Brooklyn–Manhattan tunnel project. The tunnel was officially renamed the "Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel" in July 1936. In November of that year, Brooklyn Borough President Raymond Ingersoll and New York City Parks commissioner Robert Moses revealed
SECTION 50
#17328951971958268-492: The Brooklyn approach was already underway. The Army had already approved the tunnel but, due to a minor change in the plan, had to hold another hearing, and the Army was expected to uphold the permit. In May, La Guardia signed a preliminary contract to start construction. Moses stated that he wanted to complete the tunnel, a crucial link in the Circumferential Parkway System, as soon as possible. The RFC granted
8427-511: The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel was also dubbed the most expensive tunnel in the United States. It was expensive enough that the TBTA had been forced to look around the world for a company that could cover the tunnel's $ 33.5-million (equivalent to $ 337 million in 2023 ) insurance policy. However, the cost was expected to be counterbalanced, in part, through the $ 0.35 tolls and the time savings afforded. Truckers at Bush Terminal , located south of
8586-445: The Brooklyn–Manhattan tunnel if funds became available. By this time, the construction cost of the Brooklyn–Manhattan tunnel was now projected to be $ 58 million (equivalent to $ 1 billion in 2023 ). Detailed plans for the tunnel were released in May 1936. The project now consisted of a $ 60.3-million (equivalent to $ 1.04 billion in 2023 ) twin-tube bore from Red Hook, Brooklyn, to
8745-497: The Brooklyn–Manhattan tunnel in conjunction with a Staten Island–Brooklyn tunnel under the Narrows . The city was set to ask for $ 50 million (equivalent to $ 935 million in 2023 ) in federal funding, but this request was dropped from the final vote. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia set up a public-works authority in February 1935 so the city could apply for loans from the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). This authority
8904-424: The Department of War's decision and declined to create such a committee. In July 1939, after the bridge plan was canceled, the proposal for the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel was revisited. Around this time, Roosevelt's administration was considering loosening PWA requirements and lowering interest rates so that the Battery Tunnel could qualify for these funds. By November, La Guardia was arranging to obtain financing for
9063-569: The Gowanus Canal bridge in October, just before the tunnel was set to begin construction. The Gowanus bridge's contract was awarded in December 1940. A contract for the Gowanus Parkway approach to the tunnel and bridge was awarded the next month. In mid-1941, planners realized that Hicks Street, on the Brooklyn side, would also need to be widened so that traffic from the north could enter the tunnel, whose Brooklyn portal faced southeast. By May 1942,
9222-461: The Gowanus Parkway was completed between Hicks Street and the Belt Parkway. The parkway also included a bridge over the Gowanus Canal, a fixed span rising 90 feet (27 m) above the waterway before descending to Hicks Street. Construction on an extension of the highway along Hicks Street did not start until 1946. A new plan for the Manhattan approaches was released in mid-1941. This plan, believed to reduce traffic congestion, consisted of extending
9381-421: The Hudson River and the addition of hundreds of acres of concrete platforms between the bulkhead and the pierhead lines for parks and apartments. The final plan, championed by New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and Mayor John Lindsay , called for burying the six-lane highway in 220 acres (89 ha) of new landfill south of 40th Street, placing the accompanying development on land instead of on platforms. It
9540-441: The Manhattan side. As of 2016 , the tunnel is used by 54,076 vehicles on an average weekday. The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel has a total of four ventilation buildings: two in Manhattan, one in Brooklyn, and one on Governors Island. One of the Manhattan ventilation buildings is granite-faced and designed like a monument due to objections to the building's design during the construction process. The Manhattan ventilation structure
9699-524: The NYCRR. The planned highway would no longer go to the Battery, instead ending at Canal Street , meeting the Holland Tunnel (which would open to traffic on November 13, 1927). The northern terminus was set at 72nd Street and Riverside Drive . Ramps were planned at Canal Street , 23rd Street , Riverside Drive , and at least two other locations. The Port of New York Authority opposed the plan, preferring
SECTION 60
#17328951971959858-523: The RFC. Manhattan Borough President Stanley M. Isaacs objected to the tunnel plan because he thought the proposal would not be able to adequately handle traffic on the Manhattan side. In response, Parks Commissioner Moses asked Isaacs to think of a better idea to deal with the traffic. Ickes later rejected the city's request for PWA funds, saying that there were "tremendous financial and practical obstacles" for any further PWA involvement. These impediments included
10017-878: The Terminal Bridge Corporation petitioned the New York City Board of Estimate for permission to build and operate a tunnel under the East River. In November of that year, the Board of Estimate referred the Brooklyn–Manhattan tunnel plan to the New York City Board of Transportation (NYCBOT), who was tasked with surveying the site of the tunnel. At the time, the tunnel would have cost $ 75 million (equivalent to $ 1.09 billion in 2023 ), including land acquisition if it included two three-lane tunnels. The tunnels itself would have cost $ 58 million (equivalent to $ 842 million in 2023 ) if they were three lanes or $ 50 million (equivalent to $ 726 million in 2023 ) if two lanes. The next year, NYCBOT announced that
10176-441: The Tunnel Authority, allowing the new Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) to take over the project. Moses, the TBTA head, promptly fired Singstad and replaced him with TBTA Chief Engineer Ralph Smillie , who designed the remainder of the tunnel. The WPB approved the resumption of tunnel work in September of that year. The TBTA advertised for bids to construct the Brooklyn toll plaza in May 1946. Because of objections to
10335-551: The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the Gowanus Expressway, and the Battery Tunnel. A large volume of tunnel drivers also used the garage on the Manhattan side, so in 1965, plans were made to expand the garage. The expanded garage, which was completed in 1968, had 2,126 spots. The city also built a new 278-spot garage nearby for short-term parking. In 1957, workers performing maintenance on the tunnel observed that
10494-599: The West End Association, and eleven other organizations. They cited increasing traffic and the need of a bypass route to support the highway, which would cost little in comparison to its benefits. Miller spoke at a meeting of the Market and Business Men's Association of the Greenwich and Chelsea Districts on October 30, 1928, detailing plans for the highway. It was announced that between 90 and 100 meat and poultry dealers in
10653-668: The West Side Elevated Highway south to the Battery with a ramp from the southbound highway leading directly into the tunnel. The Battery Park Underpass would be built between the West Side Highway and the FDR Drive. As a result, the approaches to the tunnel would only need to connect to the west side of the Battery, and traffic accessing the North River piers on the West Side would not be interrupted by tunnel traffic. However, this
10812-451: The West Side Highway was closed to traffic south of Canal Street , some 30 blocks north of the tunnel portal, and part of the highway had been destroyed during the attacks. Consequently, officials feared that traffic in the tunnel would be backed up at least 40 blocks if the highway was reopened. As a result, work started on a temporary roadway leading from the highway to the tunnel. The northbound tube, which reopened in March 2002,
10971-435: The West Side Highway, widening both the highway and the Henry Hudson Parkway, and constructing both the Lower Manhattan Expressway and the Mid-Manhattan Expressways , connecting routes that would have stretched across Manhattan. None of these projects were ever built. Later, in his 80s, he opposed the Westway project, but by that time his power was gone and his ideas generally weren't taken seriously. Rather than constructing
11130-424: The West Washington Market and the Gansevoort Market would be evicted to make way for the highway. Minor changes to the highway were approved on January 10, 1929, in response to several objections. The alignment in the Chelsea district was slightly modified to avoid proposed piers, and the path through the markets was realigned to pass over a corner of the property. In addition, the 14th Street ramps were moved to
11289-456: The area between 19th Street and 23rd Street , where they would spare many markets at 14th Street. In addition, the West Washington Market would no longer be demolished, and instead the highway would graze the roofs of some of the stores. An alternate plan was put forth by John Hencken, an engineer, and approved by Ernest P. Goodrich , consulting engineer to the Regional Plan of New York and its Environs . A linear corridor would be built from
11448-538: The area, at which point the elevated highway might not be necessary. Many objected that it would be ugly. Finally, in 1929, construction started, and the section between Canal Street and West 72nd Street was completed in 1937, with a "Southern Extension" to the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel completed in 1951. Before the West Side Highway was built, the road along the Hudson River was busy, with significant cross traffic going to docks and ferries . At 22nd Street, most traffic continued north along Eleventh Avenue , along which
11607-440: The bonds for the project. The sixth and seventh floors would carry one-way passenger car traffic, permitting speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). A reversible roadway, carrying cars in the direction of rush hour traffic, would occupy the eighth and ninth (top) levels. Ramps to the upper car levels would be provided every 15 to 20 blocks. The plan was criticized by Thomas Adams , Regional Plan Association director, at
11766-471: The bridge could be completed by July 1941. As part of the approval process, the US Army held a public hearing to solicit opinions on the bridge plan. To solidify their opposition to the bridge plans, 17 civic groups formed a committee, and the Municipal Art Society criticized the proposed bridge as an act of "vandalism" toward the city's public parks. Opponents claimed that the bridge would block naval traffic,
11925-566: The bridge project, with 19 members in favor and six opposed. Two days later, both chambers of the New York State Legislature passed bills that permitted the construction of the Brooklyn–Battery Bridge, and Governor Herbert H. Lehman signed the bills within the week. Moses quickly sought to obtain approval from the US Department of War , which needed to approve the plan. He also started looking for PWA and RFC financing so
12084-656: The buried highway up to the George Washington Bridge, eliminating the elevated section between 59th and 72nd streets, as well as the Henry Hudson Parkway. That option was rejected because of the cost and because it would violate the Blumenthal Amendment, which prohibited any highway construction that would alter Riverside Park. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) rejected former parks commissioner Robert Moses 's proposal to relocate
12243-510: The city $ 57 million (equivalent to $ 971 million in 2023 ) for the tunnel project later that month. Ole Singstad , the chief engineer of the New York City Tunnel Authority, was commissioned to design the tunnel. As a cost-saving measure, the Tunnel Authority briefly considered constructing the Brooklyn–;Battery Tunnel by digging a trench under the East River and then covering it up. In mid-1940, 400 Brooklyn residents living in
12402-475: The city, and so the city government proposed offering lower parking rates compared to privately-owned garages. The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel was slated to be connected with several parkways and highways on either side, which were built in tandem with the tunnel. On the Brooklyn side, the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway was under construction, providing a connector to the tunnel from the north. Although it
12561-427: The construction the proposed tunnel was estimated to cost $ 60 million (equivalent to $ 968 million in 2023 ), assuming that the tunnels were 31 feet (9.4 m) in diameter with 21-foot (6.4 m) roadways and a 13.5-foot (4.1 m) clearance. In October 1933, the Board of Estimate approved funding for the tunnel in the city's capital outlay budget for 1934. Two months later, the Board of Estimate approved
12720-585: The cost of retiling the tunnels, which cost a combined $ 30 million (equivalent to $ 35.9 million in 2023 ), because of the ongoing transit crisis at the time. On September 28, 2023, an 18-wheel tractor entered the Brooklyn-bound tunnel, traveling the wrong way to Manhattan, and got stuck inside the tunnel, backing up traffic for several hours. As of August 6, 2023 , drivers pay $ 11.19 per car or $ 4.71 per motorcycle for tolls by mail/non-NYCSC E-Z Pass. E-ZPass users with transponders issued by
12879-491: The decision as hypocritical since numerous other bridges (including the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges, which stood between the proposed bridge and the Navy Yard) would also constitute wartime hazards by the Army's reasoning. Moses continued to support the bridge, praising it as less intrusive and cheaper than a tunnel, despite great public opposition to a bridge. In October, in a last effort to garner official acceptance for
13038-421: The demolition of Castle Clinton, but preservationists who opposed Moses's proposed action asked federal judge to grant an injunction to prevent demolition. Even though Moses initially had the injunction dismissed, the federal government later designated the castle a US historic monument, which prohibited him from demolishing the castle. The tunnel project would also require demolishing two acres (0.81 ha) of
13197-529: The elevated highway was built: West Street, Eleventh Avenue and Twelfth Avenue. A short section of Twelfth Avenue still runs between 125th and 138th Streets, under the Riverside Drive Viaduct . Eleventh Avenue is a separate street north of 22nd Street . The portion between West 42nd Street and Canal Street is part of the Lincoln Highway . The highway is a six-to-eight lane urban boulevard , with
13356-410: The elevated section to grade also because of the Blumenthal Amendment as well as the presumed negative effect on development opportunities. Donald Trump , who had an option on the property, seized on Moses's proposal as a way to enhance his development plans, thus negating one of NYSDOT's objections, but his proposed 12,000-unit residential development went nowhere. So NYSDOT planned for a renovation of
13515-464: The end of the month, the WPB ordered a halt to all construction work on the tunnel's Manhattan end as well. Due to opposition over potentially firing the sandhogs, they were allowed to continue working until a final review of the WPB's action was conducted. At the time, the bores from Manhattan and Brooklyn were in various stages of completion. By September 1944, the war was winding down and Mayor La Guardia
13674-456: The garage opened in 1950, it had 1,050 spaces across seven levels, which were constructed at a cost of $ 3.5 million (equivalent to $ 35.2 million in 2023 ). The parking facility was expanded in 1965–1968 due to its popularity among motorists. The garage was the city's first publicly owned parking lot. The tunnel carries 28 express bus routes that connect Manhattan with Brooklyn or Staten Island . The MTA Bus Company operates
13833-414: The ground. It would be built of steel , with a cement face. A three-foot (1 m) sidewalk would be built for pedestrians , although the highway was intended mainly for motor vehicles. Two-block-long ramps would be provided with easy grades for entering and exiting the highway. Trucks would be allowed on the highway. The Board of Estimate approved the highway, now costing $ 13.5 million on June 14, 1926. It
13992-462: The highway were used in iconic pictures of the day. Emergency personnel went down the West Side Highway and were greeted by cheering crowds at Christopher Street on their return. Virtually all the debris from the Center traveled up the West Side Highway to be shipped off by barge. For the last half of the month, out-of-town ambulances waited on the highway for a chance to help injured patients. There
14151-432: The idea that led to the plan for Riverside South . The highway was not designed well, resulting in many shortcomings. Its lanes were considered too narrow and it could not accommodate trucks. Sharp "S" exit ramps proved hazardous, as did the left-hand exit and entrance lanes that made merging dangerous. On December 15, 1973, the northbound lanes between Little West 12th Street and Gansevoort Street collapsed under
14310-566: The intersection with Tenth Avenue . The highway is concurrent with Eleventh Avenue north of this point, passing by the 14th Street Park at 14th Street . The highway continues with this name alongside the Chelsea Piers until it reaches 22nd Street where the highway branches off from Eleventh Avenue onto Twelfth Avenue. At 22nd Street, the highway continues as Twelfth Avenue passing by the Chelsea Waterside Park . It passes just west of
14469-410: The leakage was excessive and that Singstad's caulking method had been replaced because that method was actually the cause of the leak. Workers from both sides continued working on the tunnel, mining caverns until the tubes from each side connected with each other. In July 1947, the eastern tube for future northbound traffic was the first to be holed-through, with workers from each side shaking hands as
14628-406: The left lane for passing and putting ramps on the right side, and to the method popular around the 1950s of putting ramps on whichever side was easier. The highway would "carry buses that will make both its conveniences and its beauties available to the general public", according to Miller. He suggested Hudson River Boulevard for the name of the highway. On April 24, 1925, Governor Al Smith signed
14787-472: The length of the highway to Battery Park City was one of the first additions. Piers are currently being refurbished and other work continues, with Pier 84 as the largest. Even though the highway has had two other official names, the official names have never stuck. The first official name was the Miller Highway, in honor of the city council president who pushed for the highway. On March 30, 1999, at
14946-691: The longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnels in North America. At the time of its opening, the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel was the longest underwater vehicular tunnel in the US and the second-longest in the world, behind the Queensway tunnel under the River Mersey in the UK. The portals of each tube contain flood doors weighing 20 short tons (18 long tons; 18 t) and measuring 2 feet (0.61 m) thick, 14 feet (4.3 m) across, and 29 feet (8.8 m) tall. The tunnel
15105-545: The middle. This service would be free, and would be a substitute for new subways in the corridor. Above the second floor would be about ten stories of apartments, offices, businesses, and other uses appropriate for the neighborhoods; these would be the main source of revenue to pay for the project. A high-speed motor parkway, open to passenger cars only, would lie on top. Cars would reach the upper level via ramps at both ends and elevators at convenient intervals. Dr. Benjamin Battin,
15264-606: The mouth of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel where it also accepts traffic from the southern terminus of FDR Drive . From there, the route passes close to the site of the World Trade Center at Vesey Street. The route continues with this name passing by numerous piers along the Hudson River until Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District where it becomes Eleventh Avenue. Eleventh Avenue begins just north of
15423-461: The name to Trump City. Six civic organizations opposed to Trump City proposed a plan that would relocate and bury the highway in conjunction with a much smaller development and a southward extension of Riverside Park . Trump eventually agreed to this plan, known as Riverside South . After city approval in 1992, work began on the new apartment complex. As part of the Riverside South agreement,
15582-544: The new developer began construction of a tunnel between 61st and 65th streets for the relocated highway. Following the end of the Westway project, there were debates on what to do about the rest of the highway. Vollmer Associates was contracted for the highway replacement project in September 1986. There were four alternatives: three at-grade options with a varying number of lanes and quality of roadway, and one option with grade-separated ramps over busy intersections. By November,
15741-488: The new, ceremonial name of the highway were erected on April 25, 1999. This was in the midst of a reconstruction, finished on March 29, 2002, after the September ;11 attacks in 2001 destroyed part of the road, which was still being rebuilt. Only minimal signage for the new name was erected as a result, while "West Side Highway" signs abound. Completion of the project was originally set for October 2001, but it
15900-430: The newest sections (south of Canal Street), because ramps south of the collapse only permitted northbound entrances and southbound exits. The southernmost northbound exit was at 23rd Street. In 1971, the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) proposed rebuilding the highway as Interstate 478 . UDC's "Water Edge Study" called for the highway to be routed above the water at the ends of the then mostly abandoned piers on
16059-574: The northernmost section, from 59th Street to 72nd Street (signed as the Henry Hudson Parkway ), a freeway elevated above a former rail yard adjacent to tracks still used by Amtrak . Trucks and buses are allowed only on the surface section. The West Side Highway's surface section takes three names: West Street from the Battery Park Underpass north to Tenth Avenue , then Eleventh Avenue to 22nd Street, and finally Twelfth Avenue to 72nd Street. The highway begins from Battery Park close to
16218-424: The pedestrian bridge adjacent to Vesey Street to be removed. On October 31, 2017, a man intentionally drove a pickup truck for a mile through the Hudson River Park 's bike path, parallel to the West Side Highway, between Houston Street and Chambers Street, killing eight people and injuring at least 11. In 2022, Manhattan borough president Mark Levine proposed converting one lane of the West Side Highway into
16377-404: The plan several times out of concern that the bridge would impede shipping access to the Brooklyn Navy Yard . This prompted city officials to reconsider plans for a tunnel. Construction on the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel started on October 28, 1940, but its completion was delayed due to World War II -related material shortages. The tunnel officially opened on May 25, 1950. The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel
16536-590: The proposed Manhattan ventilation building's design, the TBTA changed the plans so that the tower would look like a granite monument rather than a simple ventilation tower. Moses directed the tunnel be finished with a different method for finishing the tunnel walls. This resulted in leaking, and, according to Moses biographer Robert Caro , the TBTA fixed the leaks by using a design almost identical to Singstad's original. Singstad later claimed that Smillie had caused "excessive" leakage by not using Singstad's experimental caulking design to prevent leaks. Smillie denied that
16695-465: The restoration of Battery Park, which reopened in 1952 after a 12-year shutdown. The tubes were designed for two lanes in each direction. This was changed in 1956, when the Brooklyn-bound western tube was changed to handle bidirectional traffic during morning rush hours, owing to heavy rush-hour traffic congestion. A northbound high-occupancy vehicle lane (HOV lane) was later added during the morning rush hours. It led from Staten Island to Manhattan via
16854-403: The same year, asked for another $ 2 million (equivalent to $ 21.4 million in 2023 ). In February 1948, the RFC agreed to extend another $ 28 million (equivalent to $ 284 million in 2023 ) toward the completion of the tunnel. By mid-1948, the tunnel was 70 percent complete, despite material shortages and cost overruns, and was expected to open to traffic in early 1950. Work on
17013-480: The striped bass. At the same time, Congress moved to deny necessary funding for the landfill. On September 30, 1985, New York City officially gave up on the project, allocating 60 percent of its interstate highway funds to mass transit and setting aside $ 811 million for the "West Side Highway Replacement Project". In the 1970s, debates raged about what to do with the elevated section from West 72nd Street and 59th Street. One version of Westway would have continued
17172-401: The tiled ceiling in the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel was leaking. About 10,000 sq ft (930 m ) of the 360,000 sq ft (33,000 m ) of ceiling was found to have corroded. The TBTA restored the tubes' ceilings starting in 1959 at a cost of $ 250,000 (equivalent to $ 2 million in 2023 ). In 1971, the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel was designated Interstate 478 in preparation for
17331-435: The time, West Street exhibited a "daily avalanche of freight and passengers in traffic", and was "walled by an unbroken line of bulkhead sheds and dock structures" blocking the view not only of the river, but even of the ships being serviced, and the commerce carried out on those piers and slips was vital to the economic health of the city. They believed that the plans should wait until the surface railroad tracks were removed in
17490-704: The time; Henry Curran of the City Club called elevated structures "a misfit in New York". The City Club also objected to more passenger cars in downtown Manhattan. Concerns were raised by the Women's League for the Protection of Riverside Park, which opposed routing trucks through Riverside Park , which would contain a parkway extending from the north end of the planned elevated highway. The League emphasized that commercial traffic should be banned north of 72nd Street (as it currently
17649-516: The traffic pattern and long-term construction disruptions. This prompted New York Governor George Pataki to cancel the tunnel project in favor of a boulevard . The boulevard was finished by 2014. In 2004, the police forces of both the PANYNJ and the NYPD announced concerns that the proposed One World Trade Center would be too close to the West Side Highway and thus vulnerable to car bombs . This prompted
17808-512: The tunnel because the project could now be completed within a year. The city government then published a new financial plan in September 1938, wherein the cost of the tunnel would increase to $ 77.3 million (equivalent to $ 1.31 billion in 2023 ). The city would reduce its request from the PWA by $ 19.82 million (equivalent to $ 337 million in 2023 ) and raise that money by selling bonds instead, and it would also apply for $ 45 million (equivalent to $ 764 million in 2023 ) from
17967-435: The tunnel could not be finished until after the war. In October 1942, Moses recommended that tunnel work be halted completely to conserve steel and other metals that were needed for the war. At this time, the federal War Production Board (WPB) released an order to stop work on the Brooklyn end, although digging from the Manhattan side was allowed to continue because that work consisted solely of digging through solid rock. By
18126-473: The tunnel progressed, and the tunnel was 94 percent complete by late 1949. A reporter for the Brooklyn Eagle made an unsanctioned drive between the two ends of the tunnel, noting that tiles, lighting, and a road surface had yet to be added, although the bores themselves were complete. The tubes included four fluorescent-lighting installations with a total of 5,776 bulbs. At the time, it comprised
18285-524: The tunnel was holed through, the TBTA awarded contracts for the construction of the Governors Island ventilation building. Construction on this ventilation building started in January 1949. The plans for the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel also included a seven-story parking garage alongside the Manhattan portal, which broke ground in August 1948. The garage was slated to be the first publicly owned parking complex in
18444-568: The tunnel was since the sea level around the tunnel had risen nine inches (23 cm) since its opening in 1951, and the portals were located on very low land to begin with. The MTA subsequently began testing inflatable dams at the tunnel's portals. In October 2017, a pair of 25-short-ton (23 t; 22-long-ton) floodgates were installed on the Manhattan-side openings of the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel. The Manhattan floodgates were supposed to be accompanied by
18603-503: The tunnel's right-of-way were evicted. On the Manhattan side, a large part of Little Syria , a mostly Christian Syrian / Lebanese neighborhood centered around Washington Street , was razed to create the entrance ramps for the tunnel. Many of the shops and residents of Little Syria later moved to Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. The city ultimately spent $ 4 million (equivalent to $ 68.1 million in 2023 ) on land acquisition. The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel's groundbreaking ceremony
18762-495: The tunnel's portal, predicted that they would save 35 minutes a day and $ 1 million (equivalent to $ 10 million in 2023 ) a year by driving through the tunnel. Within the first five and a half hours of its opening, 10,563 motorists had paid a toll to use the tunnel. Within the first day, 40,000 motorists used the tunnel, and, at that rate, it was estimated that the tunnel might see 14 million vehicles per year, 40 percent more than originally estimated. This
18921-622: The tunnel, even if it had to come from private sources. After a meeting with La Guardia, RFC chair Jones announced that there were no obstacles to granting a $ 70-million (equivalent to $ 1.2 billion in 2023 ) loan toward the tunnel project. The city was expecting to start construction once the loan was received. The tunnel plans were completed and sent to federal agencies for approval that month. The New York City Tunnel Authority announced in March 1940 that it would start construction within 40 days. Preliminary construction and land acquisition for
19080-425: The tunnel. It was subsequently flooded after a severe storm surge . The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel reopened on November 13 following a cleanup process that included the removal of an estimated 86 million US gallons (330 × 10 ^ L; 72 × 10 ^ imp gal) of water. It was the last New York City river crossing to reopen. The flooding resulting from Hurricane Sandy demonstrated how floodprone
19239-431: The urging of Mayor Giuliani, the highway was renamed for legendary New York Yankees player Joe DiMaggio , who had died three weeks earlier. Legislation to rename the highway had been introduced before DiMaggio died. Giuliani championed the name change because the highway would have been the approach to the proposed West Side Stadium at the highway and 32nd Street. DiMaggio lived on Manhattan's east side. Signs bearing
19398-413: The ventilation system as being so efficient that the ventilation towers could blow 25,000 short tons (23,000 t; 22,000 long tons) of clean air into the tunnel every hour. The system consists of 53 fans that each had a diameter of eight feet (2.4 m). At the Manhattan end, a 2,126-space parking garage sits above the approach to the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel from the West Side Highway . When
19557-470: The ventilation towers at either end might not pull in sufficient air. The tunnels would be designed to carry a maximum of 15 million vehicles per year, but it was projected that only nine million would use the tunnels during their first year of operation and that the tunnels would not reach their full capacity for another 16 years. The cost of the project had increased to $ 70 million (equivalent to $ 1.17 billion in 2023 ), and La Guardia wanted
19716-485: The viaduct. A subsequent development project, Lincoln West , accepted the elevated highway, but, although Lincoln West won approval from the City, it failed to obtain financing. Later, Trump acquired the property and proposed Television City, a design based on a massive 13-block-long podium to hide the elevated highway. Responding to criticism, Trump switched architects, reduced the podium to eight blocks in length, and changed
19875-403: The weight of a dump truck , which was carrying over 60,000 pounds (27,000 kg) of asphalt for ongoing repairs of the highway. A four-door sedan followed the truck through the hole; neither driver was seriously injured. The next day, both directions were 'indefinitely' closed south of 18th Street . This not only closed off the oldest section (between Canal Street and 18th Street), but also
20034-469: The west side would allow the railroad to monopolize freight and raise prices. The Port Authority believed it was primarily a freight problem, but NYCRR and New York City considered it to be a grade-crossing elimination project. Miller responded by arguing that something had to be done right away. He said that if the Port Authority could put forward a comprehensive plan within five years, he would put his full support behind it. He also pointed out that his plan
20193-449: The west side. Among the proposals: Manhattan borough president Julius Miller said that something had to be done right away and ultimately pushed through the plan for the West Side Elevated Highway , which was to eventually bear his name. The proposal immediately ran into stiff opposition. The City Club and New York City Mayor James J. Walker objected to the highway on the grounds that it would block waterfront-bound freight traffic. At
20352-507: The world's largest continuous fluorescent installation in the world and was the first crossing in the city to have fluorescent lights. The strips of clay tiles on the tubes' ceilings were advertised as the US's longest continuous uses of clay tiles. The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel opened to traffic on May 25, 1950, with a ceremony officiated by Mayor William O'Dwyer . Part of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, along Hicks Street from
20511-481: Was announced that the railroad would build a combined double-decker elevated highway and freight railroad (with the highway above the railroad) for $ 24 million at no cost to the city. At the time, Eleventh Avenue was popularly known as "Death Avenue" owing to the dangers of the surface line. The elevated structure would eliminate 106 grade crossings over 84 blocks. The proposal came about after six months of negotiations between Manhattan Borough President Julius Miller and
20670-537: Was approved in 1949. Eventually, the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel was also slated to connect to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to Staten Island . However, the Battery Park Underpass was not expected to be completed until 1952, and the FDR Drive extension would take even longer to be completed. Additionally, although a direct ramp from the Brooklyn-bound tunnel to the northbound Brooklyn–Queens Expressway
20829-407: Was awarded to Mason Hangar in October of the same year. A contest for designing the Governors Island ventilation building was also held, and the contract was ultimately given to the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White . The last tunneling project, a contract to dig in either direction from Governors Island until the tubes connected to each other, was advertised in December 1941. The tunnel
20988-458: Was closed completely after the September 11 attacks due to the proximity of the Manhattan portal to the World Trade Center site . Although many major crossings within the city were also closed following the attacks, they reopened relatively quickly, albeit with HOV restrictions during rush hours. The western tube of the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel was the first part of the tunnel to reopen, in October 2001, and carried only southbound traffic. However,
21147-406: Was completed between the Battery and 59th Street in August 2001. The period between the 1973 collapse and the 1985 demise of Westway was a chaotic time for drivers as the original elevated highway was dismantled (finally in 1989) and traffic was rerouted to temporary highways. The new highway permits trucks, which the old elevated did not. Together with the northern Henry Hudson Parkway , it creates
21306-515: Was debate over whether to rebuild the damaged section of the road as a surface street or a tunnel. As a master plan was developed for Ground Zero, plans initially called for the West Side Highway to be buried in a tunnel between the site and Battery Park City that was expected to cost $ 1 billion. Goldman Sachs , which had planned to build its headquarters in Battery Park City, announced its intention to cancel those plans because of concerns about
21465-472: Was delayed for years due to damage caused by the September 11 attacks . The highway, which runs just west of the World Trade Center , played a major role in the September ;11, 2001 attacks and its aftermath. The famous flag raising photograph by Thomas E. Franklin of The Record took place by the highway on the northwest corner of the site. In addition, three chunks of the tower that crashed into
21624-521: Was depicted as the men in black 's headquarters in the Men in Black movie franchise. The Governors Island ventilation structure, designed by McKim, Mead & White , is an octagonal building located over the midpoint of the tunnel's route, at its lowest point. According to the MTA, the ventilation buildings can completely replace the tunnel's air every 90 seconds. During construction, tunnel engineers touted
21783-540: Was expected to expedite cargo deliveries between these areas, thereby reviving Brooklyn's declining cargo industry. The route between Hamilton Avenue and the West Side Highway was determined to be the cheapest route that could be constructed. Although preliminary borings were set to start in February 1937, USACE officers on Governors Island opposed the placement of a ventilation tunnel there. The Tunnel Authority let contracts for borings in April 1938. The US Army , which held
21942-494: Was first proposed by Brooklyn Borough president James J. Byrne in 1926. However, this plan initially did not receive support. Albert Goldman, the New York City Commissioner of Plant and Structures, brought up the plan again in January 1929. In February 1930, the city publicized plans for a six-lane vehicular tunnel from West Street, Manhattan, to Hamilton Avenue, Brooklyn. At the time, ferry service along that path
22101-486: Was in spite of the fact that traffic speeds were limited to 40 mph (64 km/h), which reduced throughput. The 1,050-spot garage above the tunnel's northern portal opened a little more than a month after the tunnel opened. During the Battery Tunnel's first year of operation, the tunnel grossed nearly $ 5.5 million (equivalent to $ 55.3 million in 2023 ) in toll revenues, and, according to Caro, exceeded its 15-million-annual-vehicle capacity. Another analysis by
22260-443: Was linked to a plan by the city for more piers for ocean steamships; since the highway required land takings between 47th Street and 51st Street , it was easier to combine the projects and prevent additional expense. On February 17, 1927, the Board of Estimate adopted the final plans for the highway, setting a hearing date of March 24. It was split into two sections, Section one went from Canal Street to 59th Street . Section two
22419-435: Was not the case for traffic from Brooklyn, which would have to go through a traffic light before accessing the ramp for the elevated highway. The tunnel-boring project consisted of digging two separate bores from each end. Bids for digging the tunnel's shafts from the Brooklyn side were advertised and let the same month. Contracts for boring the tunnels from the Manhattan side were opened in May 1941. The Manhattan contract
22578-515: Was officially renamed after former Governor Hugh Carey in 2012 since he had lived in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel is owned and operated by the TBTA's successor MTA Bridges and Tunnels , an affiliate agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Until 2017, the agency collected tolls at a tollbooth on the Brooklyn side. The tollbooths have been demolished and replaced with electronic toll gantries on
22737-487: Was only one part of his "comprehensive plan for the relief of traffic congestion"; he had already widened many avenues and removed several Midtown elevated railroad spurs. He said the plan would not give the NYCRR any rights they did not already have; it was merely a relocation of existing tracks. The tracks had been on the surface for 55 years despite legal action taken against them, and Miller claimed they would be there for another 50 if nothing were done. Miller also received
22896-538: Was originally commissioned by the New York City Tunnel Authority, whose chief engineer Ole Singstad created the tunnel's original designs. Halfway through construction, the Tunnel Authority was merged into the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), whose chief engineer Ralph Smillie took over the design process. The "Battery" in the tunnel's name refers to an artillery battery originally located at that site during New York City 's earliest days. The tunnel
23055-453: Was originally expected for completion by 1944. La Guardia had promised that, during World War II , the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel would be given priority status over other construction projects due to its importance to the Brooklyn economy. However, the Battery Tunnel project was not deemed a high-importance destination for steel, so the tunnel's priority status for the receipt of steel was revoked in February 1942. Although digging work continued,
23214-475: Was petitioning the US government to allow the manufacture of washers , nuts , and screws for the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel construction effort. The federal government gave its permission the next month. During the war, the tunnel shafts had flooded, so they had to be drained first before construction could continue. In mid-1945, after the war ended, the Triborough Bridge Authority was merged with
23373-450: Was planned, construction was being delayed due to the difficulty of evicting tenants within the path of the ramp. Moreover, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge could not be financed, let alone started, until the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel was completed. Due to extra costs caused by delays and striking sandhogs, the authority petitioned the RFC for $ 14 million (equivalent to $ 150 million in 2023 ) in funds in August 1947, and, in December of
23532-663: Was proposed by the New York Board of Trade and Transportation in 1925 in response to growing truck traffic congestion in Lower Manhattan . The tunnel would have been located between the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge . A tunnel that specifically connected the Battery in Manhattan with Red Hook in Brooklyn, passing underneath the East River and Governors Island south of both the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges,
23691-408: Was renamed "Westway" in 1974. Hugh Carey , who was to become governor, and Ed Koch , who was to become mayor, both campaigned against the plan, saying that it would be a waste of government funds and would be a windfall for private developers. After the two were elected, they both reversed their position and supported the plan. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan 's Department of Transportation and
23850-547: Was set to receive $ 60 million (equivalent to $ 1.05 billion in 2023 ) in funds for the Brooklyn–Manhattan tunnel. The same month, city officials hired temporary workers to survey sites for the proposed tunnel so that they could create a report for the PWA application. Civic groups and Brooklyn politicians petitioned the city to commence construction immediately so traffic congestion could be reduced. However, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had stipulated that PWA funding only be given to projects that could be finished within
24009-467: Was significant opposition from the public, and so the City Council Committee on State Legislation did not approve the plan. In response, Moses changed the Brooklyn–Battery Bridge plans to include landscaping work at the Battery. La Guardia believed that if this revised plan were passed, Ickes would finally allocate a PWA grant to the bridge project. On March 28, the City Council voted to approve
24168-471: Was slow and unreliable. Real-estate speculators believed that land prices along Hamilton Avenue would appreciate as a result of the tunnel's construction and that freight shipments could be delivered to Manhattan faster. The tunnel proposal also entailed widening Hamilton Avenue to 200 feet (61 m) and building a large bridge over the Gowanus Canal , south of the proposed tunnel's entrance. In May 1930,
24327-454: Was substantially complete by December 1948, the expressway could not open until the tunnel was complete. On the Manhattan side, the southernmost section of the West Side Elevated Highway, which connected to the Battery and the future tunnel, opened in November 1948. An extension of the East River Drive (by now renamed the FDR Drive ) to the future Battery Park Underpass and Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel
24486-401: Was supposed to be held on October 8, 1940, with President Roosevelt in attendance. At the time, the president was in the final weeks of his reelection campaign for the 1940 United States presidential election , and he was expected to campaign at several places around New York City. The groundbreaking was ultimately pushed back to October 28. At the ceremony, Roosevelt extolled the benefits of
24645-403: Was the Battery Park Underpass on the Manhattan side, which opened in April 1950. Two months later, officials opened a ramp on the Brooklyn side, which led from the southbound tunnel lanes to the northbound Brooklyn–Queens Expressway. The Battery Park Underpass was connected to the FDR Drive elevated viaduct, and thus to the FDR Drive, in May 1954. The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel project also entailed
24804-408: Was the last crossing into Manhattan to reopen. In 2010, New York State legislators voted to rename the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel after former Governor Hugh Carey . The tunnel was officially renamed the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel on October 22, 2012. Less than a week after the tunnel was officially renamed, it was closed in preparation for Hurricane Sandy , marking the first-ever weather-related-closure for
24963-409: Was to be 60 feet (18 m) wide, wide enough for six lanes of traffic; the existing surface road would carry local traffic beneath the highway. Ramps would be provided at Canal Street , Christopher Street , 14th Street , 23rd Street , 34th Street , 42nd Street , and 57th Street . Slow-moving traffic would use the left lanes, due to the left-hand ramps . This contrasts with the current method of using
25122-485: Was to be built so a second deck could be added at a later time for about $ 9 million if traffic warranted. Controller Charles W. Berry questioned the proposal until he realized the money would come from tax assessments, at which time he agreed with the project. On November 10, 1926, the Sinking Fund Commission voted to give the city title to the waterfront property along the proposed highway. The highway plan
25281-529: Was to carry the road over the NYCRR's 60th Street Yard from 59th Street to 72nd Street . Section two was approved by the Board of Estimate on August 16, 1928; section one was postponed until September 27 due to objections. On October 18, the Board of Estimate approved section one. The highway was advocated by most business interests, including the Downtown League, the Fifth Avenue Association ,
#194805