Why New York's North River Tunnels were cursed from the beginning - IT'S HISTORY

the north river tunnels are a pair  of rail tunnels that carry amtrak   and new jersey transit lines under  the hudson river between weehawken   new jersey and pennsylvania station in manhattan  constructed in 1910 the north river tunnels are a   critical travel option for commuters on the  busy northeast corridor line these tunnels are   active they allow 24 hourly crossings each way  and operate at near capacity during peak hours   running parallel to one another under the hudson  their centers are separated by only 37 feet   and amazingly these two tracks fan out to 21 just  west of penn station the north river tunnels were   an engineering marvel but how did they come to  be what did it take to construct them and what's   the status of these tunnels in modern times today  we discover the story of the north river tunnels   i'm your host ryan socas and  you're watching it's history the origin of the name north river is labeled  after its earliest explorers in the 17th century   after observing the two large streams joining the  tip of manhattan island they designated one the   north river and the other the east river based  on their geographical directions from new york   harbor another origin story is contributed to the  dutch you see legend has it they designated the   hudson river as the north river the delaware  river as the south river and the fresh river   located in connecticut the north river  is part of the hudson river's mouth   approximately to the bend where the hudson river  turns from southwest to south at about 30th street   in manhattan and near the northern boundary  of hoboken new jersey so basically the north   river is an alternate name for the southernmost  portion of the hudson river the term north river   somewhat fell out of use in the 1900s however the  name does remain for the north river piers and   the north river tunnels anyhow in the 1800s  and early 1900s crossing the hudson river   proved to be an obstacle with most travels done  by ferry luckily the hudson shore of manhattan   provided many piers known as the north river  piers to accommodate its commuters shipping and   ocean-going vessels passengers and freight were  required to cross east of the river for travel   this led to an extensive network of fairy slips  docks barges and in later decades car floats   water travel was overcrowded and difficult  even if the hudson is a full mile wide up   and down the river vessels were constantly in  use creating a serious safety and logistical   problem you see travel must have an unobstructed  passage at the center of the river and all points   between the banks so a solution was needed from  time to time proposals were made to build a bridge   over this portion of the river but unfortunately  back then no individual or interest wanted to make   progress in that direction so they needed another  option in 1808 the secretary of treasury albert   gelatin issued his report of proposed locations  for transportation of national importance   the north river figures were prominent among his  proposals has the best routes towards the western   and northern lands stating quote what is called  the north river is a narrow and long bay which   in its northward course from the harbor of new  york breaks through or turns all the mountains   affording tide navigation for vessels of 80 tons  to albany and troy 160 miles above new york this   distinguishes the north river from all the other  bays and rivers of the united states with direct   attention to the north river the pennsylvania  railroad also known as prr began its plan to   construct another travel option after merging  with the united new jersey railroad and canal   company in 1871 originally they planned to build  a bridge but were unsuccessful so in 1892 the prr   teamed up with the long island railroad company  also known as lirr to develop several improved   regional rail access proposals they called this  proposal the new york tunnel extension project   these proposals finally came to fruition at  the turn of the century when the pennsylvania   railroad created subsidiaries to manage the  project incorporated on february the 13th 1902   the pennsylvania new jersey and new york railroad  or the pnj and ny was to oversee the construction   of the north river tunnels the tunnel design  team began work in 1902 and were led by chief   engineer charles m jacobs in 1904 the contract  for building the north river tunnels was awarded   to the o'rourkey engineering construction company  initially the tunnels would have been comprised of   three tubes but ultimately they opted for only  two the first task began by digging two shafts   with one just east of 11th avenue manhattan and a  larger one a few hundred yards west of the river   the tunnels were built with drilling and blasting  techniques and tunneling shields placed at three   locations then driven towards each other under  the river itself the tunnels were started in rock   using drills and blasting but this was complicated  as the bed under the river was pure mud for a   considerable depth as a result this part of the  project was driven under compressed air using   194 ton shields that met about 3000 feet after the  tubes had been excavated they were lined with 2.5   foot wide segmental cast iron rings each weighing  22 tons the segments were bolted together and   lined with 22 inches of concrete and in the end  these tunnels were 56 by 116 feet at the bottom   and 76 feet deep in 1905 a serious complication  arose in an address before the general society   of mechanics and tradesmen at carnegie lesser the  chief engineer predicted that the city would find   the transportation problem remedied underground  however by spring of 1906 general charles w   raymond reported that profoundly troubling  issues of quote the behavior of subacuous tunnels   according to raymond the chairman of the board  of engineers the tunnels under the hudson river   were shifting this was because the riverbed  underneath the hudson consisted of soft muddy   silt and raymond's data showed the tunnels  regularly rising and falling as much as two   feet within the mud this issue weighed heavily  on the pennsylvania railroad's vice president   samuel rhee who addressed his concerns in a  confidential letter to the railroad's president   on april the 2nd 1906 reasserted that if the  tunnels were indeed moving the matter needed   to be taken on immediately the railroad's  engineers considered several ideas to solve   this potentially devastating problem so railroad  president alexander cassatt ordered his team to   increase the cast iron ring segment's weight to  11 594 pounds hoping that this would settle the   tunnels once and for all but it wasn't enough they  were still moving amazingly construction proceeded   and the two halves of the north river tunnel met  underneath the hudson river on september the 11th   1906 at the time it was the longest underwater  tunnel in the world chief engineer charles jacob   led a celebratory inspection party through the  tunnel but the mystery of the up and down movement   still bothered the railroad's president the next  day cassatt telegrammed rey telling him about his   concerns then when the second north river tunnel  was linked on october the 9th the press was   indeed invited to tour the completed project  ironically the wavering issue of the tunnels   were strategically not mentioned now that both  tunnels were linked ray ordered that no further   work be done including the concrete reinforcement  and installation of electric wiring and tracks   until the board resolved the issues of the  tunnel's movements measurements experimental tests   and debates went on for months and by the spring  of 1907 the explanation for the tunnels drifting   in the hudson river silt remained unsolved and  even though no one knew why these movements were   happening the board's five members had to make  a very important decision from the onset of this   project the board had considered installing screw  piles through the cast iron shells of the tunnel   that would be secured to the solid bedrock  underneath the silt to protect against tunnel   movement during the spring and summer of 1907  jacobs installed etson recording gauges which   would measure the pressure changes of the moving  tunnels by doing so he discovered a shocking fact   the tunnels were rising and falling with the tide  so on october the 3rd 1907 jacobs reported to the   board of engineers that high tide corresponded  precisely with the lowest depth measurements   of the tunnel on the etson gauges however on may  the 8th 1908 the board demanded the use of screw   piles a demand that ray contradicted by informing  the board of his decision not to install them   you see rey had studied the movements of the  tunnels and felt that there was no convincing   evidence that this additional insurance was worth  the pursuit he felt that the potential dangers of   installing them were more significant than not  installing them since proper testing with the   screw piles attached had not been conducted  time has proven his decision a wise choice   even though the tunnels constantly surveyed  over the years continue to oscillate slightly   they remain entirely safe they did decide to  incorporate extra cast iron plates even though the   silt was a major problem it was still firm enough  to preserve the tunnels in perfect alignment   but it was speculated that if the heavy motors  were allowed to bear directly upon the shell   there would be a shock due to movement which may  produce settlements or set up stresses resulting   in fracture and even consequent catastrophic  leakage this difficulty was ultimately overcome by   the introduction of further cast iron piles placed  beneath the center of the inverts every 15 feet   and extended if necessary to a depth of 150  feet with the tops of the piles to be filled   with concrete to a depth of 15 feet with this  in mind the load was distributed by a system of   stringers capped with piles and carrying the rails  after one section was screwed down another was   bolted to it continuing until firm material had  been reached heavy pressure is forced around the   outside of the shell in both soft material and  rock and each tunnel is lined with additional   concrete with these adjustments completed most  authorities were convinced that the tunnel project   could now proceed despite the concern of shifting  tubes the tunnels opened for service in 1910 when   the new york tunnel extension to new york penn  station opened the north river tunnels and penn   station made the prr the only railroad with direct  access to new york city from the south many people   gave up their ferry rides to use this new form  of transit with trains typically traveling west   to new jersey through the north tube and east to  manhattan using the south tube the stupendous work   undertaken by the pennsylvania railroad was deemed  helpful in the city of new york to a remarkable   degree these tunnels significantly serve the  convenience of people journeying from distant   points even in modern day since 2003 the tunnels  have operated at near capacity during peak hours   the number of new jersey transit weekday trains  through the north river tunnels increased from   147 in 1976 to 438 in 2010 and yet it's still  an uphill battle over time the tunnels began to   deteriorate so in the 1990s several proposals were  developed to build additional tunnels and restore   what remains under the hudson this would help to  both add capacity to the northeast corridor and   allow for repairs to be made to the existing  utilities ultimately a plan to repair the tunnels   and add new tubes was approved in 2021 the access  to the region's core or arc was a program that was   launched in 1995 by the port authority of new york  and new jersey as well as others to restore and   research public transportation in the metropolitan  area it found that long-term goals would be best   met by better connections between the region's  major rail stations this was to little avail   however as the arc project which did not include  amtrak directly was cancelled in october of 2010   by new jersey governor chris christie who cited  potential cost overruns amtrak did step in briefly   to engage the governor in an attempt to revive the  arc tunnel program and use the work already done   for it but those negotiations were never finalized  ultimately amtrak said it was not interested in   purchasing any of the completed work amtrak's  non-involvement didn't last long and in 2011   the gateway program was born which was amtrak's  plan for restoration this plan was announced on   february the 7th 2011 with officials claiming that  amtrak would take lead on seeking financing and as   of 2017 the gateway program was expected to cost  12.9 billion dollars however in october of 2012   a year after the gateway program was announced  the north river tubes were submerged by seawater   from hurricane sandy marking the first time in  the tunnel's history that both tubes had been   completely flooded after the north river tunnels  were flooded the gateway program was prioritized   in 2012 superstorm sandy damaged the north  river tunnels and as a result the passage   still remains compromised these historic tunnels  were destroyed by flooding which caused frequent   delays and train operations the surge damaged  overhead wires electrical systems concrete walls   as well as vital drainage systems the north river  tunnels are currently safe for use by amtrak and   new jersey transit trains traveling between jersey  and new york city however it is in poor condition   due to the storm damage and requires regular and  even occasionally emergency maintenance disrupting   service for hundreds of thousands of  rail passengers throughout the region   despite the ongoing maintenance the tunnel system  continues to degrade and can only be addressed   through comprehensive tunnel rehabilitation in  may of 2014 amtrak stated that within 20 years   one or even both of the tunnels would have to be  shut down so in may of 2021 the u.s department   of transportation finally approved two new tunnels  although specific funding sources for the complete   project were not identified at the time therefore  amtrak and new jersey transit decided to take on   the construction with the development of the  hudson tunnel project which will rehabilitate   the north river tunnel without disrupting existing  train service levels and provide the capability   for rail service crossing the hudson river each  tube will be closed for rehabilitation required in   the current north river tunnel however to avoid  unacceptable reductions in weekly service the   project first includes the construction of a new  tunnel with two new rail tubes beneath the hudson   river this enhancement will maintain the current  level of train service in contrast the damaged   tubes in the north river tunnels will be taken  out of service one at a time for rehabilitation   once the north river tunnel rehabilitation  is complete the old and new tunnels will be   in service providing capability and increased  operational flexibility for the train operators   amtrak's 12.3 billion dollar plan for a new  commuter train path under the hudson river between   new jersey and manhattan will take more than a  decade to complete in the meantime it's working   to keep open the current tunnels the ongoing work  involves eliminating water in the tunnels that   cause significant failures and corrosion as well  as improving the tunnel's drainage system amtrak   has budgeted around 150 million dollars for those  type of repairs when hurricane sandy hit in 2012   the tunnel flooded with seawater causing severe  damage to its infrastructure the original tunnel   tracks consisted of rock ballast and timber ties  that have become coated with corrosive elements   other work includes replacing corroded cables that  are more than 80 years old the gateway program is   still in progress with unclear funding issues  according to the railroad operator which owns   the existing north river tunnel the tunnels will  remain in use until restoration is established let   me emphasize new york relies on these tunnels  the repair is critical since track workers and   traveling public will be less exposed to safety  hazards caused by falling concrete the formation   of icicles and slippery walkway surfaces but more  importantly the north river tunnel is crucial for   commuters on the new jersey transit and amtrak's  busy northeast corridor line and needs to remain   open at all cost so hopefully the restoration  process will deem successful and these historic   tunnels can exist well into the future alongside  many of new york city's other fascinating tunnels   which i put together a playlist about so make  sure you click that playlist to watch our series   and let me know if you'd like more  tunnel videos by clicking subscribe   to catch new videos every thursday and saturday  until next time this is ryan silkesh signing off you

Channel: IT'S HISTORY

Views: 438,215

Keywords: North River Tunnels, rail tunnels, Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, Hudson River, Weehawken, New Jersey, Pennsylvania Station, Manhattan, Northeast Corridor line, tunnels, North River, East River, New York Harbor, Hoboken, North River Piers, ocean-going vessels, shipping, ferry slips, docks, car floats, Water travel, The Hudson, travel, Secretary of the Treasury, Albert Gallatin, PNJ&NY, Chief Engineer Charles M. Jacobs, tunneling shields, segmental cast-iron rings

Id: Ho1v1pyuAEI

Length: 18min 45sec (1125 seconds)

Published: Thu May 12 2022