How did they build the Queens Midtown Tunnel?

President Roosevelt broke ground for the tunnel on Oct. 2, 1936, by pushing a ceremonial button. During the next three years, the tunnel's two vehicle-carrying tubes were carved 10 stories below the surface of the East River, through Manhattan schist, limestone, gneiss and dolomite.



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The Queens–Midtown Tunnel (often referred to as the Midtown Tunnel) is a vehicular tunnel under the East River in New York City, connecting the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens. The tunnel consists of a pair of tubes, each carrying two lanes.

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Technically called “Tunnel Street,” the three-block-long passage is the city's only underground street, according to 6sqft. It serves as a Broadway entrance to the 191st Street subway station, which, at 175 feet underground, is the deepest in the system.

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A channel 40 feet deep for the full width of the river, extending from deep water in Upper New York Bay of Ellis Island to West 59th Street, Manhattan. This channel is about 6 miles long. A channel 30 feet deep, 750 feet wide, along the Weehawken - Edgewater (NJ) waterfront.

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Drainage systems: Tunnels have an extensive network of drainage systems in place. This includes channels, pipes, and pumps that collect and redirect rainwater away from the tunnel. The drainage systems are designed to handle the anticipated volume of water during heavy rainfall events.

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Many of the disused subway stations and tunnels running under NYC are closed to the public for safety reasons, but there are still ways to see them. In some cases, you can catch glimpses of disused subway tunnels or subway platforms while riding past on currently operating lines.

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The longest tunnel in the U.S., the Delaware Aqueduct, was constructed to transport water – not vehicles – to the city of New York. In some parts of the 85-mile tunnel, its depth runs 2,500 feet below the surface and the maximum diameter reaches 19.5 feet.

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