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Queens-Midtown Tunnel

Queens Midtown Tunnel
Queens-Midtown Tunnel 4.JPG
Manhattan portal
Overview
Other name(s) Queens–Midtown Tunnel
Location Manhattan and Queens, New York
Coordinates 40°44′44″N 73°57′53″W / 40.74556°N 73.96472°W / 40.74556; -73.96472 (Queens–Midtown Tunnel)Coordinates: 40°44′44″N 73°57′53″W / 40.74556°N 73.96472°W / 40.74556; -73.96472 (Queens–Midtown Tunnel)
Route 4 lanes of I-495
Crosses East River
Operation
Opened November 15, 1940; 76 years ago (November 15, 1940)
Operator MTA Bridges and Tunnels
Traffic 79,063 (2010)
Toll As of March 22, 2015, $8.00 (cash and non-New York State E-ZPass); $5.54 (New York State E-ZPass)
Technical
Length 6,414 feet (1,955 m)
No. of lanes 4
Tunnel clearance 12 feet 1 inch (3.68 m)
Route map
Queens–Midtown Tunnel is located in New York City
Queens–Midtown Tunnel

The Queens–Midtown Tunnel (sometimes simply known as the Midtown Tunnel) is a highway, tunnel and toll road in New York City. It crosses under the East River and connects the Borough of Queens (at the Long Island City terminus of the Long Island Expressway) on Long Island, with the borough of Manhattan (between the major crosstown thoroughfares of East 34th Street and East 42nd Street in the Midtown Manhattan area). Designed by Ole Singstad, it was opened to traffic on November 15, 1940. The tunnel consists of twin tubes carrying four traffic lanes, and is 6,414 feet (1,955 m) long. It once carried New York State Route 24. The tunnel is owned by New York City and operated by MTA Bridges and Tunnels, an affiliate agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

When planning began, a bridge was strongly supported by some backers, including Robert Moses, who balked at the increased cost of a tunnel and the fact that it would not be completed in time for the 1939 World's Fair. Manhattan borough president Samuel Levy in particular was a strong backer of a six-lane bridge plan. Commissioner William Friedman of the New York City Tunnel Authority rejected the alternative outright. The Ole Singstad-designed tunnel was opened to traffic on November 15, 1940.


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