Each of the tunnels that run underneath the
East and
Hudson Rivers were marvels of engineering when first constructed. The
Holland Tunnel is the oldest of the vehicular tunnels, opening to great fanfare in 1927 as the first mechanically ventilated underwater tunnel. The
Queens Midtown Tunnel was opened in 1940 to relieve the congestion on the city's bridges. Each of its tubes were designed wider than the Holland Tunnel in order to accommodate the wider cars of the period. When the
Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel opened in 1950, it was the longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel in North America, a title it still holds. The
Lincoln Tunnel has three tubes linking midtown
Manhattan to
New Jersey, a configuration that provides the flexibility to provide four lanes in one direction during rush hours, or three lanes in both direction. All four underwater road tunnels were built by
Ole Singstad: the Holland Tunnel's original chief engineer
Clifford Milburn Holland died, as did his successor, Milton H. Freeman, after which Singstad became chief engineer, finishing the Holland Tunnel and then building the remaining tunnels.
East River From south to north:
Harlem River From south to north:
Hudson River From south to north:
Newtown Creek ==Bridges and tunnels spanning land only==