63rd Street Tunnel
63rd Street Tunnel | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°46′N 73°58′W / 40.76°N 73.96°W |
| Carries | 2 tracks of the F line of the New York City Subway; 2 trackways for future use by the LIRR |
| Crosses | East River |
| Locale | Manhattan, New York and Queens, New York |
| Maintained by | Metropolitan Transportation Authority |
| History | |
| Opened | 1989 |
| Location | |
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The 63rd Street Tunnel currently carries the Template:NYCS F line of the New York City Subway under the East River between Manhattan and Queens. It is the newest of the East River tunnels, and the newest river crossing in the New York metropolitan area. Construction began in the early 1970s. Unlike previous tunnels that were bored under the riverbed, the 63rd Street Tunnel was constructed from prefrabicated concrete tubes. Trenches were built in the river bed, and the prefabricated sections of tunnel were floated into position and then sunk into the trenches.
The tunnel is also notable for having a station in the middle, under Roosevelt Island.
The tunnel has two levels. The F uses the upper level, connecting to the IND 63rd Street Line and the IND Sixth Avenue Line. There is also an unused connection to the BMT Broadway Line. The lower level is currently unused, but was designed for the Long Island Rail Road East Side Access project to bring LIRR commuter trains to Grand Central Terminal.