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Lincoln Tunnel

Lincoln Tunnel
Lincolntunnel.jpg
New Jersey entrance to Lincoln Tunnel
Overview
Location Weehawken, New Jersey to Midtown Manhattan, New York City, US
Coordinates 40°45′45″N 74°00′40″W / 40.7625°N 74.0111°W / 40.7625; -74.0111Coordinates: 40°45′45″N 74°00′40″W / 40.7625°N 74.0111°W / 40.7625; -74.0111
Status Open
Route Route 495 (NJ side)
NY 495 (NY side)
Crosses Hudson River
Operation
Constructed March 1934 – December 1937 (center tube)
1937–1938, 1941–1945 (north tube)
1954–1957 (south tube)
Opened December 22, 1937; 79 years ago (1937-12-22) (Center tube)
February 1, 1945; 72 years ago (1945-02-01) (North tube)
May 25, 1957; 59 years ago (1957-05-25) (South tube)
Owner Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Operator Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Traffic Automotive
Character Limited-access
Toll (eastbound only) As of December 6, 2015; Cars $15.00 for cash, $12.50 for Peak (E-ZPass), $10.50 for Off-peak (E-ZPass)
Vehicles per day 108,655 (2011, "AADT")
Technical
Length 7,482 ft (2,281 m) (north)
8,216 ft (2,504 m) (center)
8,006 ft (2,440 m) (south)
Number of lanes 6
Operating speed 35 miles per hour (56 km/h)
Lowest elevation −97 feet (−30 m)
Tunnel clearance 13 feet (4.0 m)
Width 21.5 feet (6.6 m)

The Lincoln Tunnel is an approximately 1.5-mile-long (2.4 km) set of three tunnels under the Hudson River, connecting Weehawken, New Jersey and Midtown Manhattan in New York City. An integral conduit within the New York Metropolitan Area, it was designed by Norwegian-born civil engineer Ole Singstad and named after U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. It is one of two automobile tunnels built under the river, the other being the Holland Tunnel. The Lincoln Tunnel carries a daily average of approximately 120,000 motor vehicles.

The 8,216-foot (2,504-metre) center tube opened in 1937, followed by the 7,482-foot (2,281-metre) north tube in 1945. The 8,006-foot (2,440-metre) south tube was the last to open, in 1957.

The tunnel is part of NJ 495 on the western half of the river, and the unsigned NY 495 on the eastern half of the river.

The tunnel was originally to be named Midtown Vehicular Tunnel, but the planners eventually decided that the new tunnel deserved a name that was of similar importance to that of the George Washington Bridge, and named it after Abraham Lincoln.

Designed by Ole Singstad, the tunnel was funded by the New Deal's Public Works Administration. Construction began on the first tube (now the center of the three tubes) in March 1934. It opened to traffic on December 22, 1937, charging $0.50 per passenger car, equal to $8.33 today. The cost of construction was $85 million, equal to $1.52 billion today.

The original design called for two tubes. Work on a second tube, north of the first one, was halted in 1938 but resumed in 1941. Due to war material shortages of metal, completion was delayed for two years. It opened on February 1, 1945, with Michael Catan, brother of Omero Catan (known as Mr. First, attending over 526 opening day events), selected to be the first to lead the public through the tube.


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