Disconnect With Logic- 4Ever Constrained to 1927 & 1957

Manhattan's Holland & Lincoln Tunnels

That was the year that Charles Lindberg first flew non-stop trans Atlantic. And the year of the completion and the opening of the twin tube Holland Tunnel.

The Holland Tunnel is Manhattan's sole vehicular tunnel directly to New Jersey south of the Lincoln Tunnel.

It was opened with a single twin tube, each with 2 lanes, meaning 4 lanes total.

The Lincoln Tunnel is Manhattan's sole vehicular crossing of the Hudson River between the Holland Tunnel to the south and the George Washington Bridge to the north.

It was open in successive stages with a design ultimately accommodating 4 tubes each with 2 full 12 foot wide lanes, with the first tube in 1937, and the 2nd by 1945, and the 3rd completed by 1957, together with a short mini freeway approach in Manhattan to West 30th Street.

What can be the perpetual reason-excuse for an utter lack of planning for any such further capacity additions?  This can be said about vehicular traffic into and through Manhattan, and about rail freight across the Hudson river any closer than Sedkirk, N.Y. next to I-90, some 140 miles or so to the north.

The existing delays and demand would merit expanding both to at least 8 lanes, with the construction of the 4th tube of the Lincoln Tunnel, and a multi stage project adding a multiple set of under-river least a set of additional tubes in each direction for the Holland Tunnel, and perhaps a parallel set somewhat to the north connecting to say Houstan and or 14th Streets.

The authorities collect a standard toll from these existing crossings into Manhattan at $13.50, with a mere 5% going towards their maintenance, being siphoned away.   Social and environmental concerns point towards such a sensible agenda of Cross-Hudson road capacity additions, along with a re-assessment of the failure to plan for the undeniable 'desire' lines between these tunnels and their comparable East River crossings, regarding the logical cross town land tunnels.

Planning authorities need to address the need for such  sort of tunneled land approaches- aka a Cast Iron District friendly Canal Road Delancy Street Vehicular Tunnel ultimately connecting to the Williamsburg Bridge, plus a set under such streets as 29th and 30th Streets to connect with a Midtown tunnel with at least a 3rd tube bringing it up to 6 lanes total.

Strange is not it that we heard mere lip service by the planning authorities to improve evacuation capacity.