Holland Tunnel, Road tunnel between Lower Manhattan and Jersey City, United States
The Holland Tunnel is a road tunnel beneath the Hudson River connecting Lower Manhattan in New York with Jersey City in New Jersey. It consists of two parallel tubes, each carrying two lanes of traffic, running 2,609 meters (8,558 feet) through the riverbed.
Construction started in 1920 under the direction of Clifford Holland, who died in 1924 before the project was completed in 1927. At its opening, it was the longest underwater vehicular tunnel in the world.
The name honors Clifford Milburn Holland, who led the design but died before opening day. Drivers passing through see white ceramic tiles lining the interior and feel the pressure of thick concrete walls holding back the river overhead.
Visitors can only pass through by vehicle, as there are no pedestrian walkways or bicycle lanes. The ventilation system uses 84 fans to replace all the air roughly every 90 seconds, removing vehicle exhaust.
In 1949, a truck carrying carbon disulfide caught fire and damaged about 152 meters (500 feet) of the tunnel ceiling without causing any deaths. The repairs demonstrated the resilience of the original construction, and the tunnel reopened to traffic soon after.
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