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 |  Construction began: October 25, 1929 Construction completed: July 11, 1936 Cost: $60 million then // $1.05 billion today Current toll: $8.50 Manhattan Island New York, United States of America |
 | Construction began: October 28, 1940 Construction completed: May 25, 1950 Cost: $90 million then // $920.7 million today Toll: $8.50 Manhattan Island New York, United States of America |
 | Construction began: August 13, 1959 Construction Completed: November 21, 1964 for upper deck // June 28, 1969 for lower deck Cost: $320 million then // $2.45 billion today Toll: $17.00 Verrazano-Narrows Bridge New York, United States of America |
 | Construction began: September 1, 1925 Construction completed: June 29, 1928 Cost: $7.3 million then // $104.7 million today Toll: $15.00 Outerbridge Crossing New York, United States of America |
 | Construction began: September 1, 1925 Construction completed: June 29, 1928 Cost: $7.2 million then // $100 million today Toll: $15.00 Goethals Bridge New York, United States of America |
 | Construction began: September 19, 1928 Construction completed: November 15, 1931 Cost: $13 million then // $194.9 million today Toll: $15.00 Bayonne Bridge New Jersey, United States of America |
 | Construction began: March 21, 1922 Construction completed: November 13, 1927 Cost: $48 million then // $669.8 billion today Toll: $15.00 Holland Tunnel New York, United States of America |
 | Construction began: March 1, 1934 Construction completed: December 22, 1937 Cost: $85 million then // $1.46 trillion today Toll: $15.00 Lincoln Tunnel New York, United States of America |
Getting Around: The Bridges and Tunnels of New York City
New York City is unique in the fact that it is comprised of five individual boroughs, with very different cultures and populations. Despite these differences, a common theme that unites the City is the need to travel from one borough to another, and also from the greater metropolitan area to New York City. To this end, there are a number of bridges and tunnels to facilitate intra-borough travel. Many of these are world famous for both their engineering marvel and pop culture status.
One of the most prominent figures in the history of New York City is Robert Moses. Moses was the master builder of the 20th century, and many of the great engineering feats that are now synonymous with New York City can be traced back to him. Moses was at the height of his power during a thirty-year span from the 1930’s to the 1960’s. At one point in time, Moses held twelve titles, including NYC Parks Commissioner and Long Island State Park Commissioner, despite the fact that he was never elected to any office. The project that launched his career was the Triborough Bridge. (In 2008, the bridge was renamed the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge.1). What is collectively known as the Triborough Bridge is actually three separate bridges, connected by a viaduct and fourteen miles of connecting roads. The three bridges meet on Randall’s Island, where motorists can exit in any direction. The Harlem River Lift Bridge connects Harlem to Randall’s Island; the Bronx Crossing Span connects the South Bronx to Randall’s Island; the East River Suspension Span connects Queens to Randall’s Island.
Construction on the bridge began on October 25, 1929, also known as Black Tuesday, the day the stock market crashed. The Great Depression stalled the project and by spring on 1932 it looked close to death. Moses solved the funding problem by creating the Triborough Bridge Authority (TBA), today known as MTA Bridges and Tunnels. The TBA raised funds for the bridge by selling bonds backed against future toll revenues and applying for funds under President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal Programs. The bridge cost more than $60 million at the time of its completion in 1936; this is over one billion dollars in today’s funds.
Moses’s next project was to further link Brooklyn and Manhattan, which were already joined by the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and the subway system. Moses proposed a Brooklyn-Battery Bridge to connect the two boroughs. Critics opposed the construction of a bridge based on several complaints, such as destruction of Battery Park and ruining the Manhattan skyline. Moses favored a bridge because of three main factors: it was more cost effective than a tunnel, it would serve as a visible monument to himself, and a bridge could carry more cars than a tunnel, which meant greater toll revenue for the TBA. A tunnel won out in the end due to the involvement of President Roosevelt. He ordered the War Department to forbid the building of a bridge across the East River, as it would serve as a target for enemy bombers, and its destruction would prohibit access to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. This was also an attempt by President Roosevelt to show up Moses, whom he despised. In retaliation against President Roosevelt for denying him his bridge, Moses moved the New York City Aquarium from Castle Clinton to Coney Island, and then attempted to raze Castle Clinton to the ground, based on the dubious claim that it would need to be destroyed in order to build the tunnel. Only huge public outcry and the work of activists saved Castle Clinton by having it named a national monument. So, work began on the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.
Construction started in 1940 by the New York City Tunnel Authority and did not finish for a decade, as WWII caused a shortage of building materials. In 1946, the TBA and the Tunnel Authority were combined into the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), so the project was finished under Moses’s supervision. When it opened in 1950, the tunnel was the longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel in North America. It still holds that distinction today. Four ventilation centers are able to completely change the air in the tunnel every ninety seconds. In 2010, the tunnel was renamed the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel in honor of the late governor. In 2012, before Hurricane Sandy hit, the tunnel was closed and fortified; however, an estimated 86 million gallons of seawater flooded the tunnel and caused it to remain closed for two weeks while it was pumped out.2
Moses’s crowning achievement is the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which links Staten Island to Brooklyn. The bridge was seen as the final connection in Moses’s system of highways which included the Staten Island Expressway, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, and the Belt Parkway. Moses saw Staten Island as nothing more than a transportation hub to connect the boroughs, hence the need for an automobile route to Brooklyn, and from there Queens, Manhattan, and also Long Island. Construction on the bridge began in August of 1959, and the upper deck opened in November of 1964. The lower deck followed in 1969. It cost $320 million in 1964 dollars, the equivalent of $2.45 billion today. From its opening until 1981, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. The bridge is named for European explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, who was the first to sail into New York Harbor; the bridge is actually misnamed: it has one “z” while Verrazzano spelled it with two. Despite several petitions over the years, the MTA has refused to correct the spelling, on the argument that it would cost too much to do so.
From an engineering standpoint, the Verrazano has some remarkable features. The two towers are 693 feet tall and are 4,260 feet apart. Each tower weighs 27,000 tons. The total length of cable used is such that if stretched out end to end, it would reach halfway to the moon! The two towers are so tall and so far apart that the curvature of the Earth had to be taken into account when building them. The towers are actually 1 inches farther apart at their tops than their bases. Due to the fact that metal expand when heated, the roadway sinks down 12 feet during the summer. Because of its immense size and location close to open water, the bridge is heavily influenced by the weather.3
But New York City is not just connected to itself, within the five boroughs. Numerous connections exist between New York City and New Jersey as well. These are governed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, established by an interstate compact in 1921. It has jurisdiction over all bridges, tunnels, ports in a 25-mile radius of the Statue of Liberty. Staten Island is home to three: the Outerbridge Crossing, the Goethals Bridge, and the Bayonne Bridge. The Outerbridge Crossing is named in honor of Eugenius Outerbridge, the first chairman of the Port Authority. It connects the South Shore of Staten Island to Perth Amboy in New Jersey. Construction began in September of 1925 and it opened to the public in June of 1928, the same day as the Goethals Bridge.4 The Goethals connects the Island to Elizabeth, New Jersey. Currently, the Goethals Bridge is undergoing construction. A new bridge is being constructed which will have additional, wider lanes when compared to the current bridge. The new bridge will also have bike paths as well as safety upgrades. Once the new bridge is completed, the existing bridge will be demolished.5 Finally, the Bayonne Bridge connects Staten Island to Bayonne, New Jersey. At the time of its completion, it was the longest steel arch bridge in the world; today, it is the fifth longest. The Bayonne Bridge too is undergoing construction: to raise the bridge from 155 feet above the water to 215 feet above to allow taller ships to pass beneath it and also to install a new roadway. The upper level opened in February of 2017, and the lower roadway, along with the raising of the bridge, is expected to be completed in 2019.6
The Port Authority also governs tunnels between New York and New Jersey. The 1.6-mile-long Holland Tunnel connects Lower Manhattan near Canal Street to Jersey City, NJ. Construction began in 1920 and the tunnel opened for traffic in 1927. The Holland Tunnel was made possible by improvements to ventilation systems. No long underwater vehicular tunnel had been built before it, as there was no way to cycle the air in the tunnel and remove the dangerous carbon monoxide fumes. The solution was to build four ventilation towers that serviced the circular tunnel. Each tower has 84 huge fans that circulate the air every ninety seconds. In 1984, it was named a National Historical Civic and Mechanical Engineering Landmark, and in 1993, it named a National Historic Landmark.7
The Lincoln Tunnel is also controlled by the Port Authority. The tunnel is 1.5 miles long and connects Midtown Manhattan, near West 38th Street, to Weehawken, NJ. It is comprised of three tubes: the first opened in 1937, the second in 1945, and the third in 1957. It was funded by FDR’s Public Works Administration, at the cost of $85 million, the equivalent of $1.52 billion today. The tunnel was initially supposed to be called the Midtown Hudson Tunnel, but after the opening of the George Washington Bridge, the planners felt the President Lincoln should also be honored. Two teams built the tunnel from the New York and New Jersey sides and they met in August of 1935. 8
When two of New York City’s boroughs are islands, it can be expected that engineering is necessary to connect them. The 20th century was home to a construction boom in terms of building these connections. Each new bridge or tunnel was a result of an advancement in engineering technology.; that is, based on construction innovation, it was possible to build a bridge or tunnel that it was not possible to build before. In some cases, the blueprints of a new connection necessitated the development of technology to allow them to be built. As shown by the Goethals and Bayonne Bridges, these pieces of infrastructure are not perfect and do require maintenance. But as long as New Yorkers are driving, there will be bridges and tunnels to get them from point A to point B.
Notes
- “Robert F. Kennedy Bridge.” Accessed April 29, 2017. http://web.mta.info/bandt/html/rfk.html.
- “Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (formerly Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel).” Accessed April 29, 2017. http://web.mta.info/bandt/html/bbt.html.
- “Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.” Accessed April 29, 2017. http://web.mta.info/bandt/html/veraz.html.
- “History-Outerbridge Crossing.” Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Accessed April 29, 2017. https://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/outerbridge-crossing-history.html.
- “About the Goethals Bridge Replacement Project.” Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Accessed April 29, 2017. https://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/goethals-bridge-replacement-about.html.
- “About the Navigational Clearance Project .” Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Accessed April 29, 2017. https://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/bayonne-navigational-clearance-project-about.html.
- “History-Holland Tunnel.” Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Accessed April 29, 2017. http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/holland-tunnel-history.html.
8. “History-Lincoln Tunnel.” Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Accessed April 29, 2017. http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/lincoln-tunnel-history.html.
