Bergen Tunnels

Bergen Tunnels

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Overview
Location	Bergen Hill Hudson Palisades Jersey City, New Jersey
Further information Coordinates 40°44′25″N74°03′45″W / 40.74028°N 74.06250°W / 40.74028; -74.06250 (Bergen Tunnels) System New Jersey Transit Operation Constructed 1877 1910 Owner NJ Transit Traffic Railroad Character Passenger Technical Design engineer James Archbald Samuel Rockwell Length 4,200 feet (1,300 m) approx. No. of tracks 2 per tube Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge Electrified Overhead line,  25 kV 60 Hz AC Bergen Tunnels Show map of New York City Bergen Tunnels Show map of Hudson County, New Jersey Bergen Tunnels Show map of New Jersey

The Bergen Tunnels are a pair of railroad tunnels with open cuts running parallel to each other under Bergen Hill in Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. Originally built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W), they are used by New Jersey Transit Rail Operations (NJT) trains originating or terminating at Hoboken Terminal. ^[1]

Construction

The western portals of four railroad tunnels and cuts through Bergen Hill in Jersey City in 1978. From left: the Bergen Tunnels, the Long Dock Tunnel, and the Bergen Arches.

Prior to construction, the Morris and Essex Railroad, a predecessor of the DL&W, used the Long Dock Tunnel, owned by the Erie Railroad, to pass under the Hudson Palisades. After issues of congestion and competition arose, the DL&W decided to build its own tunnel for what is commonly known as its Morristown Line. ^{[2] [3]} Construction of the North Bergen Tunnel began in 1873; it came into service in 1877. ^[4] The South Bergen Tunnel opened in 1910, ^[5] soon after a new Hoboken Terminal was inaugurated. Both tunnels are approximately 4,200 ft (1,300 m) long, ^{[6] [7]} and have two short segments of open cut as well as ventilation shafts. ^[8]

Rehabilitation

The tunnel portals from within Open Cut No. 1, facing east, before renovation in 2001

In 2001, New Jersey Transit contracted JV Merco-Obayashi for the rehabilitation of the partially brick-lined North Bergen Tunnel. ^[9] This included the stabilization of the two open cuts. The five ventilation shafts were stabilized and backfilled. Brick was removed so that the tunnel could be enlarged using drill-and-blast methods, following which it was relined with shotcrete. A drained membrane waterproofing system was installed before a final lining of concrete was cast-in-place. ^[8] In addition to waterproofing ceilings and walls, new electrical, signal and ventilation systems were installed as were new emergency exits. New tracks were affixed directly to a new concrete floor. ^[10]

There are unfunded plans to rehabilitate the South Bergen Tunnel as it suffers from water leakage and icicle formation during the winter months. ^[11]

Historic status

The tunnels are part of New Jersey's state historic preservation office historic district, designated the Old Main Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Historic District. ^[12] They were documented in 2001 for the Historic American Engineering Record. ^[13]

Survey No.	Name (as assigned by HAER)	Built	Documented	Carries	Crosses	Location	County	Coordinates
NJ-136	D,L&W, North Bergen Tunnel	1877	2001	NJ Transit Hoboken Division tracks	Bergen Hill	Jersey City	Hudson	40°44′25″N74°03′45″W / 40.74028°N 74.06250°W / 40.74028; -74.06250 (Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, North Bergen Tunnel)
NJ-137	D,L&W, South Bergen Tunnel	1911	2001	NJ Transit Hoboken Division tracks	Bergen Hill	Jersey City	Hudson	40°44′24″N74°03′45″W / 40.74000°N 74.06250°W / 40.74000; -74.06250 (Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, South Bergen Tunnel)

See also

• List of bridges, tunnels, and cuts in Hudson County, New Jersey
• Timeline of Jersey City, New Jersey-area railroads

References

1. French, Kenneth (2002). Railroads of Hoboken and Jersey City. Images of Rail. Arcadia Publishing. p. 125. ISBN   978-0-7385-0966-2.
2. "The New Bergen Tunnel" (PDF). New York Times. May 12, 1877.
3. Bianculli, Anthony J. (2008), Iron Rails in the Garden State: Tales of New Jersey Railroading, Indiana University Press, ISBN   9780253351746
4. "NJT - North Bergen Tunnel". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
5. "NJT – South Bergen Tunnel". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
6. Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, North Bergen Tunnel, Through Bergen Hill from Prospect Street at Ogden Avenue to John F. Kennedy Boulevard at Beacon Avenue, Jersey City, Hudson County, NJ. Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
7. Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, South Bergen Tunnel, Jersey City, Hudson County, NJ. Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
8. "Bergen Tunnel Rehabilitation" (PDF). Gall Zeidler Consultants. 2001. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
9. "NJ Transit to Begin Rehabilitation of Aging Bergen Tunnel in Early Summer". May 10, 2001. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
10. "Bergen Tunnel Construction Continues". August 10, 2001. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
11. "2022 Capital Plan Updated Project Sheets" (PDF). www.njtransit.com. NJ Transit. p. 109. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
12. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places". New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection-Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
13. "Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey: Search Results: Bergen Tunnels". Library of Congress. 2001. Retrieved November 16, 2017.

External links

• "The Delaware and Lackawanna Tunnel Through Bergen Hill, NJ" . Scientific American. 36 (21): 319. 1877. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican05261877-319.
• "North Bergen Tunnel". Bridgehunter.
• NJ-136 Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, North Bergen Tunnel (1877) 40°44′25″N74°03′45″W / 40.74028°N 74.06250°W / 40.74028; -74.06250 (Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, North Bergen Tunnel)
• NJ-137 Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, South Bergen Tunnel 1911 40°44′24″N74°03′45″W / 40.74000°N 74.06250°W / 40.74000; -74.06250 (Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, South Bergen Tunnel)