The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel's construction began in 1940 but was delayed due to World War II shortages. Ole Singstad was the chief engineer until 1946, after which Ralph Smille took over when the Tunnel Authority merged with the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA). Architect Erling Owre, known for his work on the Holland Tunnel's ventilation towers, later served as the supervising architect for the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel, focusing on its ventilation tower design.

It now carries Interstate 478 and is operated by MTA Bridges and Tunnels. The severe-looking Moderne style ventilation building at Battery Place was designed by Parks Department architect Aymar Embury II and completed in 1950.&nbsp;

The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel, is a tolled tunnel connecting Red Hook, Brooklyn, with the Battery in Manhattan. At 9,117 feet it is the longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel in North America. Three seals grace the front of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority. One is the seal of the City of New York.

Longest Underwater Vehicular Tunnel in North America9,117 feet in lengthOpened May 25th, 1950Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority

Plaque

Brooklyn Battery Tunnel

At the time no one thought it would be possible to exhaust that much carbon monoxide for the amount of traffic envisioned. The solution was a tri-level tunnel where the cars are on the mid-level and fresh air and exhaust plenums above and below with two ventilation shafts that 'frame' the Hudson River, one on the West Side &amp; its mate in New Jersey.

President Calvin Coolidge, aboard his yacht, the Mayflower, at anchor in the Potomac River, pressed a button that rang a large brass bell at the entrance.

The Holland tunnel was the first automotive tunnel crossing of the Hudson River. There was a precedent in that a railroad tunnel was built across the Hudson. The Tunnel Commission initially planned to build a bridge but decided that the cost of acquiring the land was prohibitive. The tunnel was named for its designer, Clifford Milburn Holland who came up with the design which features two separate 2-lane tubes each going in a different direction. He had the misfortune to die of a heart attack on the day before the two halves of the tunnel were to be joined at the age of 41. Work was completed by Ole Singstad who devised the revolutionary ventilation system.&nbsp;

List of 66 Injured in Holland Tunnel Blast Includes Many City Firemen

The first long mechanically ventilated underwater tunnel in the world designed for motor vehicle useThe 29.5 ft. diameter 3,500 ft. long twin tubes of this tunnel were shield driven by the pneumatic method through extremely difficult river bottom conditions that were overcome by the ingenuity and determination of the engineers, Clifford M. Holland, Milton H. Freeman and Ole Singstad. The tubes were the largest in the U.S. when built.The unprecedented length was a bold step forward in subsequent tunnel engineering.The principal feature of the cast iron-lined tunnel is the ventilating system. Its design was based on elaborate theories of physiological and mechanical tests conducted mainly by the U.S. Bureau of Mines.The resulting system - forcing fresh air in at roadway level and drawing off the exhaust-laden air at the ceiling over the entire tunnel length – has been the model for all succeeding vehicular tunnels. The air is moved by 42 blowing and 42 exhaust fans of 6000 total horsepower, arranged in 4 ventilation buildings.The tunnel is operated by The Port Authority of New York and NewPresented 1934 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers

Holland Tunnel

Considered a traffic breakthrough at the time, the concept went on to get implemented widely.

Originally proposed in 1930, the tunnel was not funded until 1933. Work was undertaken from both sides concurrently which meant that the holes on both sides needed to match. &nbsp;In order to withstand the high air pressure needed to keep the water from seeping in, the ‘Sandhogs’ as the workers were known had to enter the tunnel through airlocks which would gradually increase the pressure as they descended from lock to lock. &nbsp;Because of the Depression and the War it took nearly a decade to build the first two tubes. &nbsp;

Lincoln Tunnel

Called the ‘master tunnel builder’, he came to New York in 1909 to collaborate on the design of the Hudson tubes which was the first underwater link between New Jersey and New York. &nbsp;After 2000 tests he solved the ventilation problem for the Holland Tunnel which was the first automobile tunnel. &nbsp;The solution involved building a hollow space below the roadway through which air could be pumped and a hollow space above it to draw out the carbon monoxide. &nbsp;Singstad went on to design every major tunnel in New York City and many outside. &nbsp;

Ole Singstad

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