63rd Street Tunnel: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 40°45′36″N 73°57′18″W / 40.76000°N 73.95500°W / 40.76000; -73.95500
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The '''63rd Street Tunnel''' currently carries the [[IND 63rd Street Line]] of the [[New York City Subway]] under the [[East River]] between the [[borough (New York City)|borough]]s of [[Manhattan]] and [[Queens]]. It is the newest of the [[East River]] tunnels, and the newest river crossing in the [[New York metropolitan area]]. Construction of the 63rd Street Tunnel began on November 24, 1969 and the tunnel was holed through beneath [[Roosevelt Island]] on October 10, 1972<ref>{{cite news |title=Mayor and Governor Unite to Start Transit Tube |first=Edward C. |last=Burks |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10910F63E591A7493C7AB178AD95F4D8685F9 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 25, 1969 |accessdate=2010-02-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Governor Rockefeller and Mayor Lindsay Attend 'Holing Through' of 63d St. Tunnel |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0A12FF3E591A7493C3A8178BD95F468785F9 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 11, 1972 |accessdate=2010-02-13}}</ref> However, completion of the tunnel was delayed by New York City's fiscal crisis of the 1970s. The tunnel was placed into partial service in 1989.
The '''63rd Street Tunnel''' currently carries the [[IND 63rd Street Line]] of the [[New York City Subway]] under the [[East River]] between the [[borough (New York City)|borough]]s of [[Manhattan]] and [[Queens]]. It is the newest of the [[East River]] tunnels, and the newest river crossing in the [[New York metropolitan area]]. Construction of the 63rd Street Tunnel began on November 24, 1969 and the tunnel was holed through beneath [[Roosevelt Island]] on October 10, 1972<ref>{{cite news |title=Mayor and Governor Unite to Start Transit Tube |first=Edward C. |last=Burks |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10910F63E591A7493C7AB178AD95F4D8685F9 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 25, 1969 |accessdate=2010-02-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Governor Rockefeller and Mayor Lindsay Attend 'Holing Through' of 63d St. Tunnel |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0A12FF3E591A7493C3A8178BD95F468785F9 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 11, 1972 |accessdate=2010-02-13}}</ref> However, completion of the tunnel was delayed by New York City's fiscal crisis of the 1970s. The tunnel was placed into partial service in 1989 and was nicknamed the "tunnel to nowhere" due to its lack of connections.<ref name="nyt-1989-10-29">{{cite news |last=Lorch |first=Donatella |title=The 'Subway to Nowhere' Now Goes Somewhere |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 29, 1989 |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/29/nyregion/the-subway-to-nowhere-now-goes-somewhere.html |accessdate=2009-07-25}}</ref><ref name="lip-2011-04-21">{{cite news |title=Tunnel Vision: Inside the East Side Access Project |first=Spencer |last=Rumsey |url=http://www.longislandpress.com/2011/04/21/inside-the-east-side-access-project/ |newspaper=Long Island Press |date=April 21, 2011 |accessdate=2011-10-16}}</ref>


The final section of the 63rd Street Tunnel, which cost $645 million to complete and connected what had been a service dead-ending at the [[21st Street – Queensbridge (IND 63rd Street Line)|21st Street Station]] in [[Queensbridge, Queens|Queensbridge]] to the [[IND Queens Boulevard Line]], was finished in 2000 and first used by trains during the off-peak hours while signal work was performed in the [[53rd Street Tunnel]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Another Tunnel Offers Breathing Room for E and F Trains |first=Susan |last=Saulny |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/28/nyregion/another-tunnel-offers-breathing-room-for-e-and-f-trains.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 28, 2000 |accessdate=2010-02-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=New Subway Line To Start |first=Randy |last=Kennedy |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/28/nyregion/metro-briefing-new-york-manhattan-new-subway-line-to-start.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 28, 2001 |accessdate=2010-02-13}}</ref>The tunnel connection was placed into permanent service with the start of [[V (New York City Subway service)|V]] train and the shifting of the route of the [[F (New York City Subway service)|F]] train on December 17, 2001.<ref>{{cite news |title=V Train Begins Service Today, Giving Queens Commuters Another Option |first=Sarah |last=Kershaw |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/17/nyregion/v-train-begins-service-today-giving-queens-commuters-another-option.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 17, 2001 |accessdate=2010-02-13}}</ref>
The final section of the 63rd Street Tunnel, which cost $645 million to complete and connected what had been a service dead-ending at the [[21st Street – Queensbridge (IND 63rd Street Line)|21st Street Station]] in [[Queensbridge, Queens|Queensbridge]] to the [[IND Queens Boulevard Line]], was finished in 2000 and first used by trains during the off-peak hours while signal work was performed in the [[53rd Street Tunnel]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Another Tunnel Offers Breathing Room for E and F Trains |first=Susan |last=Saulny |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/28/nyregion/another-tunnel-offers-breathing-room-for-e-and-f-trains.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 28, 2000 |accessdate=2010-02-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=New Subway Line To Start |first=Randy |last=Kennedy |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/28/nyregion/metro-briefing-new-york-manhattan-new-subway-line-to-start.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 28, 2001 |accessdate=2010-02-13}}</ref> The tunnel connection was placed into permanent service with the start of [[V (New York City Subway service)|V]] train and the shifting of the route of the [[F (New York City Subway service)|F]] train on December 17, 2001.<ref>{{cite news |title=V Train Begins Service Today, Giving Queens Commuters Another Option |first=Sarah |last=Kershaw |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/17/nyregion/v-train-begins-service-today-giving-queens-commuters-another-option.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 17, 2001 |accessdate=2010-02-13}}</ref>


Unlike previous tunnels that were bored under the riverbed, the 63rd Street Tunnel's river portions used the [[immersed tube]] method. Trenches were built in the river bed, and prefabricated concrete sections of tunnel were floated into position and then sunk into the trenches. Other portions of the tunnel were built using cut-and-cover construction or rock tunneling. The tunnel also serves the [[Roosevelt Island (IND 63rd Street Line)|Roosevelt Island station]], and the [[Lexington Avenue – 63rd Street (IND 63rd Street Line)|Lexington Avenue station]], which will serve as a transfer point to the [[BMT Broadway Line]] (current plans are to extend the [[Q (New York City Subway service)|Q train]]) when the first phase of the [[Second Avenue Subway]] opens for service.
Unlike previous tunnels that were bored under the riverbed, the 63rd Street Tunnel's river portions used the [[immersed tube]] method. Trenches were built in the river bed, and prefabricated concrete sections of tunnel constructed in [[Port Deposit, Maryland]] were floated into position and then sunk into the trenches.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cudahy |first=Brian J. |title=Under the Sidewalks of New York: The Story of the Greatest Subway System in the World |year=1979 |publisher=S. Greene Press |location=Brattleboro, VT |isbn=0828903522 |page=145}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Munfah |first=Nasri A. |last2=Tarhan |first2=Yalcin M. |title=Immersed Tunnel Techniques: Proceedings of the Conference Organized by the Institution of Civil Engineers |year=1990 |publisher=Thomas Telford |location=London |isbn=0727715127 |page=327 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=zMpy__P1j4IC&lpg=PA327&pg=PA327 |accessdate=2011-10-16}}</ref> Other portions of the tunnel were built using cut-and-cover construction or rock tunneling. The tunnel also serves the [[Roosevelt Island (IND 63rd Street Line)|Roosevelt Island station]], and the [[Lexington Avenue – 63rd Street (IND 63rd Street Line)|Lexington Avenue station]], which will serve as a transfer point to the [[BMT Broadway Line]] (current plans are to extend the [[Q (New York City Subway service)|Q train]]) when the first phase of the [[Second Avenue Subway]] opens for service.


The tunnel has [[Tunnel#Double-deck_tunnel|two levels]]. Currently, the {{NYCS 63rd IND}} service uses the two tracks on the upper level, connecting the [[IND Queens Boulevard Line]] in Queens to the [[IND Sixth Avenue Line]] in Manhattan via the IND 63rd Street Line. There is also an unused connection to the [[BMT 63rd Street Line]], west of the [[Lexington Avenue – 63rd Street (IND 63rd Street Line)|Lexington Avenue – 63rd Street]] station. The two trackways on the lower level are currently unused, but are designed for the [[Long Island Rail Road]]'s [[East Side Access]] project, which will bring LIRR commuter trains to [[Grand Central Terminal]] in the 2010s.
The tunnel has [[Tunnel#Double-deck_tunnel|two levels]]. Currently, the {{NYCS 63rd IND}} service uses the two tracks on the upper level, connecting the [[IND Queens Boulevard Line]] in Queens to the [[IND Sixth Avenue Line]] in Manhattan via the IND 63rd Street Line. There is also an unused connection to the [[BMT 63rd Street Line]], west of the [[Lexington Avenue – 63rd Street (IND 63rd Street Line)|Lexington Avenue – 63rd Street]] station. The two trackways on the lower level are currently unused by trains, but are designed for the [[Long Island Rail Road]]'s [[East Side Access]] project, which will bring LIRR commuter trains to [[Grand Central Terminal]] in 2016. During construction of the East Side Access project, the lower level of the 63rd Street Tunnel is being used to transport equipment; excavated rock from Manhattan is also hauled out to [[Sunnyside Yard]] on a {{convert|5|mi|km|adj=on}} long [[conveyor belt]].<ref name="lip-2011-04-21"/>

The 63rd Street Tunnel and the 63rd Street Tunnel Connector received the Construction Achievement Project of the Year Award from the Metropolitan Section of the [[American Society of Civil Engineers]] in 1973 and 2000, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ascemetsection.org/content/view/142/86/ |title=Construction Achievement Project of the Year Award |work=ASCE Metropolitan Section |accessdate=2011-10-16}}</ref> The 63rd Street Tunnel Connector was also selected as the Transit Project of the Year in 1999 by ''New York Construction News''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Transit Project of the Year |url=http://www.helmarksteel.com/Articles/NYCN%20Dec99%2063rd%20St.pdf |format=PDF |work=New York Construction News |month=December |year=1999 |page=47 |accessdate=2011-10-16}}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 12:57, 16 October 2011

63rd Street Tunnel
Tunnel vents in Central Park
Coordinates40°46′N 73°58′W / 40.76°N 73.96°W / 40.76; -73.96
Carries2 tracks of the IND 63rd Street Line (F and <F> train) of the New York City Subway; 2 trackways for future use by the LIRR
CrossesEast River
LocaleManhattan and Queens, New York City
Maintained byMetropolitan Transportation Authority
Characteristics
Total length3,140 feet (960 m) between shafts[1]
Width38.5 feet (11.7 m)[1]
History
OpenedOctober 29, 1989[2]
Location
Map

The 63rd Street Tunnel currently carries the IND 63rd Street Line of the New York City Subway under the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens. It is the newest of the East River tunnels, and the newest river crossing in the New York metropolitan area. Construction of the 63rd Street Tunnel began on November 24, 1969 and the tunnel was holed through beneath Roosevelt Island on October 10, 1972[3][4] However, completion of the tunnel was delayed by New York City's fiscal crisis of the 1970s. The tunnel was placed into partial service in 1989 and was nicknamed the "tunnel to nowhere" due to its lack of connections.[2][5]

The final section of the 63rd Street Tunnel, which cost $645 million to complete and connected what had been a service dead-ending at the 21st Street Station in Queensbridge to the IND Queens Boulevard Line, was finished in 2000 and first used by trains during the off-peak hours while signal work was performed in the 53rd Street Tunnel.[6][7] The tunnel connection was placed into permanent service with the start of V train and the shifting of the route of the F train on December 17, 2001.[8]

Unlike previous tunnels that were bored under the riverbed, the 63rd Street Tunnel's river portions used the immersed tube method. Trenches were built in the river bed, and prefabricated concrete sections of tunnel constructed in Port Deposit, Maryland were floated into position and then sunk into the trenches.[9][10] Other portions of the tunnel were built using cut-and-cover construction or rock tunneling. The tunnel also serves the Roosevelt Island station, and the Lexington Avenue station, which will serve as a transfer point to the BMT Broadway Line (current plans are to extend the Q train) when the first phase of the Second Avenue Subway opens for service.

The tunnel has two levels. Currently, the F and <F> service uses the two tracks on the upper level, connecting the IND Queens Boulevard Line in Queens to the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan via the IND 63rd Street Line. There is also an unused connection to the BMT 63rd Street Line, west of the Lexington Avenue – 63rd Street station. The two trackways on the lower level are currently unused by trains, but are designed for the Long Island Rail Road's East Side Access project, which will bring LIRR commuter trains to Grand Central Terminal in 2016. During construction of the East Side Access project, the lower level of the 63rd Street Tunnel is being used to transport equipment; excavated rock from Manhattan is also hauled out to Sunnyside Yard on a 5-mile (8.0 km) long conveyor belt.[5]

The 63rd Street Tunnel and the 63rd Street Tunnel Connector received the Construction Achievement Project of the Year Award from the Metropolitan Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1973 and 2000, respectively.[11] The 63rd Street Tunnel Connector was also selected as the Transit Project of the Year in 1999 by New York Construction News.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Guide to Civil Engineering Projects In and Around New York City (2nd ed.). Metropolitan Section, American Society of Civil Engineers. 2009. pp. 62–63.
  2. ^ a b Lorch, Donatella (October 29, 1989). "The 'Subway to Nowhere' Now Goes Somewhere". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  3. ^ Burks, Edward C. (November 25, 1969). "Mayor and Governor Unite to Start Transit Tube". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  4. ^ "Governor Rockefeller and Mayor Lindsay Attend 'Holing Through' of 63d St. Tunnel". The New York Times. October 11, 1972. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  5. ^ a b Rumsey, Spencer (April 21, 2011). "Tunnel Vision: Inside the East Side Access Project". Long Island Press. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  6. ^ Saulny, Susan (November 28, 2000). "Another Tunnel Offers Breathing Room for E and F Trains". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  7. ^ Kennedy, Randy (November 28, 2001). "New Subway Line To Start". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  8. ^ Kershaw, Sarah (December 17, 2001). "V Train Begins Service Today, Giving Queens Commuters Another Option". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  9. ^ Cudahy, Brian J. (1979). Under the Sidewalks of New York: The Story of the Greatest Subway System in the World. Brattleboro, VT: S. Greene Press. p. 145. ISBN 0828903522.
  10. ^ Munfah, Nasri A.; Tarhan, Yalcin M. (1990). Immersed Tunnel Techniques: Proceedings of the Conference Organized by the Institution of Civil Engineers. London: Thomas Telford. p. 327. ISBN 0727715127. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  11. ^ "Construction Achievement Project of the Year Award". ASCE Metropolitan Section. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  12. ^ "Transit Project of the Year" (PDF). New York Construction News. 1999. p. 47. Retrieved 2011-10-16. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

40°45′36″N 73°57′18″W / 40.76000°N 73.95500°W / 40.76000; -73.95500

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