THE HUDSON TUNNEL

Shannon News, 17 January 1928, Page 1

THE HUDSON TUNNEL

A SEVEN YEARS' -JOB. HERCULEAN TASK TOR ENGINEERS. COST PUT AT £9,680,000. - The 1 ‘streets under the Hudson,” opened recently as the Holland Tun noil, were seven years, in the .building, cost the States .of'New .York and New Jersey £9,680,000 and are the largest' \ohicular tunnels in tho world. The boring of tihe two tubes under the river was a herculean task, and one which taxed the ingenuity: of engineers to the utmost. The new link between the States is counted on to play an important -role in efforts to cope with Now York’s constantly .increasing traffic prob lcm. It has been' estimated that vehicles using the tunnel, in both tubes, one eastward, will number 15,000,000 yearly. This concentration of traffic at the Manhattan end and change the entire aspect of parts of both cities. New Jersey City and downtown Manhattan will show the daily mobilisation of vehicles at tihe tunnel entanee and exit. Facts About the Tunnel.

Salient, facts and figures regarding the tunnel have been . tabulated as follows:

Toll. —Fifty cents for private niotr cars, motor trucks, according to size, with average at 1.25 dollars. Length.—92soft. Distance between portals. —8463 ft Distance between river shafts.— fi:;74fet.

Length under river.—s4Boft. Number of roadways.—Two. Roadway width.—2oft Headroom,-—l3sft. Hourly vehicle capacity;—3Boo. Maximum vehicle capacity.—46,ooo Yearly capacity.—ls,ooo,ooo. Maximum upgrade.—3.B per cent. Maximum downgrade.—4.6 per cent Excavation. —500,000 cubic yards. Aside from the problems of mason ry in construction, the solution oi tiio ventilating question was one of the biggest things put up to tlu engineers Owing to the fact that virtually all the vehicles using tin Holland Tunnel will be gas-propelled the engineers had to solve the elimination of the problem of carbon-monox id e , gas, given off by automobile exhausts. This question was answer cd by a series of huge ventilating faps. - There are S 4 of the fans, housed in two buildings on the Manhattar side, and two on the Jersey, but ouh 56 are used in normal circumstances The fan buildings are ten storey? in height, and the vitiated air suck ed from the tunnel is expelled from the tenth floor. Blower fans of 261 h.p. draw in fresh air and pump ii into tho tubes, where it is put intr circulation • so gradually that on< standing at the entry vents is scare Ply ab’e to feci the breeze sweeping in. Dials icgister the exact conditior of the air in the tunnel at all LniciSamples of the Air Analysed. Part of the guard on the air b maintained in a laboratory at tho an buildings on either side. Samp.cs 0 the dead air drawn from the t-w» tubes arc submitted to analysis, an • the results are forwarded to a signa room, where a‘ recording madam counts the parts of earbon-monoxuh to each 1000 parts of air. _ . [n coming with the special prob lems of tho Holland Tunnel, engm oors were aided by studies of tl> Blackwell and Rothcrite tunnels u London, the three-tube harbour, tun nel in Glasgow, and the two tube, under the River Elbe at Hamburg Police and fire protection systems j ■ force in these tubes + were scrutinised and a system which • sponsors believe excels any of h foreign plans has boon put into effect in tllc New York tunnel. The Pdice force consists of men all skilled in motors and then ways, in command of former Dcpu y Inspector Cornelius F. Cnhalane. -Lad week the fire department of the tunne in a demonstration of its efficiency extinguished a burning am - seconds after tho alarm had boon turned in.