60th Street Tunnel

Last updated

60th Street Tunnel
60thStreetTunnelWork.jpg
Installing continuously welded rail in the tunnel
Overview
Line BMT Broadway Line ( N ,​ R , and​ W trains)
Location East River between Manhattan and Queens (New York City)
Coordinates 40°45′39″N73°57′48″W / 40.760732°N 73.963308°W / 40.760732; -73.963308
System New York City Subway
Operation
OpenedAugust 1, 1920;103 years ago (August 1, 1920)
Operator Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Technical
No. of tracks 2

The 60th Street Tunnel carries the N ,​ R , and​ W trains of the New York City Subway under the East River and Roosevelt Island between Manhattan and Queens.

Contents

History

Construction and opening

The tunnel was built as part of the Dual Contracts, which expanded the current New York City Subway system greatly. The original plan provided for trackage over the Queensboro Bridge, which spans the East River from about 59th Street in Manhattan to Queens Plaza in Queens. However, an investigation made following the 1907 collapse of the Quebec Bridge determined that the bridge would not be able to handle the additional weight of subway trains; thus, the tunnel was constructed to the north. [1] Clifford Milburn Holland served as the engineer-in-charge. [2] On October 14, 1918, the tunnel was holed through near the Manhattan bank of the East River. Work on the tunnel was being completed by P. McGovern & Company for $4,194,797. At the time, it was expected that the tunnel would be completed in early 1919. The tunnel was the deepest of the five new East River tunnels, being over 100 feet (30 m) deep in sections. A false bottom was placed in the river over some sections of tunneling work due to the very high level of air pressure needed. [3]

The tunnel opened to revenue service on Sunday, August 1, 1920, at 2 a.m. with a holiday schedule, along with the Montague Street Tunnel and the rest of the BMT Broadway Line. Regular service began the following day. The two new tunnels allowed passengers to make an 18-mile (29 km) trip from Coney Island, through Manhattan, to Queens for a 5 cent fare. [4] The original construction cost was $5,617,008.97.

Later years

Originally, the tunnel only connected the BMT Broadway Line to the Queensboro Plaza station, where trains terminated, and passengers could transfer to elevated trains to continue along either the BMT Astoria Line or the IRT Flushing Line (both of which handled only the narrower elevated trains). After 1949, service patterns were changed so that all BMT trains ran over the Astoria Line and all IRT trains on the Flushing Line. Before that change, the platform edges had to be shaved back to fit the wider BMT subway trains. In 1955, the 60th Street Tunnel Connection opened, allowing Broadway trains to connect to the local tracks of the IND Queens Boulevard Line at Queens Plaza. [5] This track connection is currently utilized by the R train; the N and​ W trains continue to use the original connection to Queensboro Plaza.

In 1983, as part of the MTA's first Capital Program, it was announced that work was required to keep the 60th Street Tunnel in a state of good repair. Work on the $34 million project started in November 1990. On July 27, 1992, N and R trains began running through the tunnel at normal speed (40 to 45 mph (64 to 72 km/h) after two years of work. During the project, trains went through the tunnel at 10 mph (16 km/h), and weekend and late night service was shut down. Ridership decreased from 225,000 to 160,000 daily riders. The tunnel remained closed during late nights for another year so that ventilation and water control improvements could be made. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Q (New York City Subway service)</span> New York City Subway service

The Q Second Avenue/Broadway Express/Brighton Local is a rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored yellow since it is a part of the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independent Subway System</span> Defunct subway operator in New York City

The Independent Subway System was a rapid transit rail system in New York City that is now part of the New York City Subway. It was first constructed as the Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan in 1932. It was originally also known as the Independent City-Owned Subway System (ICOSS) or the Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad (ICORTR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proposed expansion of the New York City Subway</span>

Since the opening of the original New York City Subway line in 1904, and throughout the subway's history, various official and planning agencies have proposed numerous extensions to the subway system. The first major expansion of the subway system was the Dual Contracts, a set of agreements between the City of New York and the IRT and the BRT. The system was expanded into the outer reaches of the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, and it provided for the construction of important lines in Manhattan. This one expansion of the system provided for a majority of today's system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dual Contracts</span> Transit contracts in New York City

The Dual Contracts, also known as the Dual Subway System, were contracts for the construction and/or rehabilitation and operation of rapid transit lines in the City of New York. The contracts were signed on March 19, 1913, by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company. As part of the Dual Contracts, the IRT and BRT would build or upgrade several subway lines in New York City, then operate them for 49 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interborough Rapid Transit Company</span> Defunct subway operator in New York City (1904–1940)

The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was the private operator of New York City's original underground subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT was purchased by the city in June 1940, along with the younger BMT and IND systems, to form the modern New York City Subway. The former IRT lines are now the A Division or IRT Division of the Subway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">103rd Street–Corona Plaza station</span> New York City Subway station in Queens

The 103rd Street–Corona Plaza station is a local station on the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of 103rd Street and Roosevelt Avenue. It is served by the 7 train at all times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queensboro Plaza station</span> New York City Subway station in Queens

The Queensboro Plaza station is an elevated New York City Subway station at Queens Plaza in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens. It is near the east end of the Queensboro Bridge, with Queens Boulevard running east from the plaza. The station is served by the 7 and N trains at all times, the W train on weekdays, and the <7> train rush hours in the peak direction.

The 60th Street Tunnel Connection or 11th Street Cut is a short rapid transit line of the New York City Subway connecting the 60th Street Tunnel under the East River with the IND Queens Boulevard Line west of Queens Plaza in Long Island City, Queens, New York City, United States. The 11th Street Connection name comes from the street above the split from the 60th Street Tunnel. The line does not have any stations, and carries R trains at all times but late nights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steinway Tunnel</span> Tunnel under the East River in New York City

The Steinway Tunnel is a pair of tubes carrying the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway under the East River between 42nd Street in Manhattan and 51st Avenue in Long Island City, Queens, in New York City. It was originally designed and built as an interurban trolley tunnel, with stations near the current Hunters Point Avenue and Grand Central stations.

The IRT Flushing Line is a rapid transit route of the New York City Subway system, named for its eastern terminal in Flushing, Queens. It is operated as part of the A Division. The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), a private operator, had constructed the section of the line from Flushing, Queens, to Times Square, Manhattan between 1915 and 1928. A western extension was opened to Hudson Yards in western Manhattan in 2015, and the line now stretches from Flushing to Chelsea, Manhattan. It carries trains of the 7 local service, as well as the express <7> during rush hours in the peak direction. It is the only currently operational IRT line to serve Queens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R (New York City Subway service)</span> New York City Subway service

The R Broadway Local is a rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway. Its route emblem, or "bullet", is colored yellow since it uses the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan.

The BMT Broadway Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Manhattan. As of November 2016, it is served by four services, all colored yellow: the N and ​Q trains on the express tracks and the R and ​W trains on the local tracks during weekdays. The line is often referred to as the "N and R", since those were the only services on the line from 1988 to 2001, when the Manhattan Bridge's southern tracks were closed for rebuilding. The Broadway Line was built to give the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company access to Midtown Manhattan.

8 was a designation given to two New York City Subway services. It was first used by the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation for its Astoria Line from 1917 to 1949. The ex-Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) Third Avenue El subsequently used the designation between 1967 and 1973.

The BMT Astoria Line is a rapid transit line in the B Division of the New York City Subway, serving the Queens neighborhood of Astoria. It runs south from Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria to 39th Avenue in Long Island City above 31st Street. It then turns west and serves Queensboro Plaza over Queens Plaza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fifth Avenue–59th Street station</span> New York City Subway station in Manhattan

The Fifth Avenue–59th Street station is a station on the BMT Broadway Line of the New York City Subway. Located under Grand Army Plaza near the intersection of 5th Avenue and 60th Street in Manhattan, it is served by the N train at all times, the W train on weekdays during the day, and the R train at all times except late nights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway station (BMT Astoria Line)</span> New York City Subway station in Queens

The Broadway station is a local station on the BMT Astoria Line of the New York City Subway. It is located above 31st Street at Broadway in Astoria, Queens. The station is served by the N train at all times, as well as by the W train on weekdays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">39th Avenue station (BMT Astoria Line)</span> New York City Subway station in Queens

The 39th Avenue station is a local station on the BMT Astoria Line of the New York City Subway. It is located at 39th Avenue and 31st Street in Long Island City, Queens. The station is served by the N train at all times, as well as by the W train on weekdays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lexington Avenue/59th Street station</span> New York City Subway station in Manhattan

The Lexington Avenue/59th Street station is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the IRT Lexington Avenue Line and the BMT Broadway Line. It is located at Lexington Avenue between 59th and 60th Streets, on the border of Midtown and the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The station complex is the fourteenth-busiest in the system, with over 21 million passengers in 2016.

The New York City Subway's B Division consists of the lines that operate with lettered services, as well as the Franklin Avenue and Rockaway Park Shuttles. These lines and services were operated by the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) and city-owned Independent Subway System (IND) before the 1940 city takeover of the BMT. B Division rolling stock is wider, longer, and heavier than those of the A Division, measuring 10 or 9.75 ft by 60 or 75 ft.

References

  1. ↑ "Queensboro Bridge". ASCE Metropolitan Section. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  2. ↑ Aronson, Michael (June 15, 1999). "The Digger Clifford Holland". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on July 5, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Astoria Tube 'Holes Through' Excavations Meet After Blast Near Manhattan Shore". The Brooklyn Times Union. October 15, 1918. Retrieved May 15, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "New Subway Link Opens; Service Started Through Queens and Montague Street Tubes". The New York Times. August 1, 1920. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Straphangers Sit As Tunnel Opens". The New York Times. December 2, 1955. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
  6. ↑ Leahy, Jack (July 28, 1992). "N & R back up to speed". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 5, 2018– via Newspapers.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.