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Holland Tunnel
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: TunnelsEra: 1920-1929DateCreated: 1927Hudson RiverJersey CityState: NJZip: 07310Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Holland-Tunnel/Creator: Holland, Clifford

The 1.6-mile Holland Tunnel was the first underwater vehicular crossing of the Hudson River and the first tunnel specifically designed for automobiles and trucks. It dramatically reduced the time required to traverse the Hudson River, a trip previously possible only by ferry. 

A major difficulty when tunneling beneath a river is to keep water and mud from inundating the workers and equipment in the tunnel. Builders of the Holland Tunnel used a shield that enveloped the work site as the excavation progressed; this also avoided obstruction of shipping traffic during construction.

YearAdded:
1982
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Chris Leung (CC BY-SA 2.0)Image Caption: Holland TunnelEra_date_from: 1927
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Innovations

Holland Tunnel

The 1.6-mile Holland Tunnel was the first underwater vehicular crossing of the Hudson River and the first tunnel specifically designed for automobiles and trucks. It dramatically reduced the time required to traverse the Hudson River, a trip previously possible only by ferry. 

A major…

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