Conquest of the Hudson - a PDH Online Course for Engineers, Surveyors and Architects

Conquest of the Hudson

J.M. Syken

Course Outline

In this course, we will examine historical background, initiatives, need and tunnel/bridge projects conceived/implemented in the quest to provide trans-Hudson communication for both trains and vehicles. This examination will include the history of ferry service from New Jersey to lower Manhattan starting in 1661 (during the Dutch period) through to the application of steam-powered ferry service starting in 1812. As well, the failed late 19th Century plan/s for a trans-Hudson bridge (to carry both trains and vehicles) and the first attempt to create a sub-aqueous tunnel (for electric traction commuter trains) will be discussed in depth and detail.

The successful completion of two pairs of sub-aqueous tunnels (to carry the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad) into the metropolis in the first decade of the new century, its success, demise and takeover by the Port of New York Authority (as part of the World Trade Center project) to form PATH (Port Authority Trans Hudson) will be of significant interest. The creation and completion of the world’s first ventilated vehicular tunnel – the Holland Tunnel (1927), will be of great interest as will be the creation of the George Washington Bridge (1931) and the Lincoln Tunnel (1937) and their supplemental expansion/s (to help relieve/disperse the trans-Hudson vehicular traffic burden) will also be discussed in-depth and detail. As well, tangential highway schemes never realized will also be reviewed.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

Understand/appreciate trans-Hudson ferry service starting in the Dutch period, through the colonial period and into the 19th Century whereby steam-powered ferry service was introduced;
Understand/appreciate the need for trans-Hudson communication via bridge and/or tunnel in the aftermath of the Civil War and the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge (1883) over the East River;
Understand/appreciate the various bridge schemes to span the Hudson, in particular that of Gustav Lindenthal and why early plans for his and other bridge schemes failed;
Understand/appreciate the sub-aqueous tunnel initiative of Colonel DeWitt Clinton Haskin, including its successes and failures and the first use of compressed-air for a sub-aqueous tunnel;
Understand/appreciate the abandonment of the first tunnel (due to insufficient funding) and its revitalization/expansion/completion as two pair/s of tunnels (a.k.a. “McAdoo Tunnels”) and the creation/facilities/operation of the first trans-Hudson commuter train service: the “Hudson & Manhattan RR”;
Understand/appreciate the early success of the H&MRR, its decline, fall and subsequent takeover to become PATH as part of the deal between NY & NJ for the WTC;
Understand/appreciate the population expansion of the NYC/Metro area in the early 20th Century and the need for additional train service to and through Manhattan island;
Understand/appreciate the ambitions of the “New York Tunnel Extension” project of the Pennsylvania RR, inclusive of tunnels under both the Hudson and East River/s, a magnificent new station on the west side of Manhattan, linkup with the LIRR and connection to New England via the “New York Connecting Railroad”;
Understand/appreciate the need for a vehicular trans-Hudson tunnel in the wake of the “Coal Famine” of 1918 in NYC and rise of the car and truck in post-WWI America as the primary form of transportation;
Understand/appreciate the life/career of Chief Engineer Clifford M. Holland and his design/oversight of the world’s first ventilated vehicular tunnel (posthumously named in his honor);
Understand/appreciate Robert Moses’ plans for the “Lower Manhattan Expressway” (LOMEX) and the role of the Holland Tunnel in those unrealized plans;
Understand/appreciate the need to alleviate/distribute the traffic burden on the Holland Tunnel in the wake of its opening in 1927;
Understand/appreciate the supplemental plans to span the Hudson with an even grander/more expensive suspension bridge by Gustav Lindenthal in the 1920s;
Understand/appreciate the rivalry between Lindenthal and his protégé O.H. Ammann and how/why Ammann’s plan for a vehicle-only suspension bridge (between Ft. Lee, N.J. and 179th Street in Manhattan) was selected and realized as the George Washington Bridge;
Understand/appreciate the need for a midtown-Hudson tunnel and its completion/expansion in stages (starting with the opening of a single tube in 1937, second tube in 1941 and third tube in 1958);
Understand/appreciate the complex network of access/approach roads to/from the Lincoln Tunnel on the Weehawken (NJ) side, in particular the world-famous “Helix,”; and;
Understand/appreciate Robert Moses’ unrealized plans for a “Cross-Manhattan Expressway” and the Lincoln Tunnel’s role in those plans.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for architects, engineers and other design professionals.

Benefit to Attendees

The attendee/s will gain an intimate knowledge and insight into the conquest (by sub-aqueous tunnels and long-span suspension) bridge of the mighty Hudson River in the vicinity of Manhattan Island.

Course Introduction

The course includes an in-depth PowerPoint presentation and the viewing three documentary film

Course Content

In this course, you are required to view/study the following slideshow and the materials contained in the web pages:

Conquest of the Hudson (printable handout in PDF, 21 MB, see Note A below for downloading instruction)

Conquest of the Hudson (non-printable slideshow for screen-viewing only, 91 MB, see Note A below for downloading instruction)

Archival/Documentary Film:

TITLE: Holland Tunnel Construction
LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fORmoNbN5yI&feature=related
DURATION: 03:29

TITLE: History of he George Washington Bridge (Modern Marvels)
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR5f9LnfwuU
DURATION: 43:02

TITLE: Conquest of the Hudson – Building the Lincoln Tunnel
LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mav9SgzAsfw
DURATION: 19:43

TITLE: The Great Grey Bridge: The George Washington Bridge Under Construction, 1929
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC25vzmjXSc
DURATION: 20:37

Note A: Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right-clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader from your computer.

Course Summary

From the days of Peter Stuyvesant and New Amsterdam, men dreamed of replacing the inefficient ferry service between New Jersey and Manhattan Island with a more efficient means of “getting to the other side.” The first significant advance was the introduction of steam-powered ferries, which could make the passage in a fraction of the time of the sail-powered “Periaugers” of the Dutch. Still, ferries had their limitations. With the expansion of New York City’s population in the post-Civil War years, a clarion call for a bridge across the Hudson was heard far and wide, in particular after the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge (in 1883). For a variety of reasons, a bridge across the Hudson would not become a reality until the George Washington Bridge opened in 1931. However, it was preceded by a multitude of tunnels starting in the pre-WWI years with the “McAdoo Tubes” (bringing the Hudson & Manhattan RR into Manhattan) and soon after by the Pennsylvania RR’s “NY Tunnel Extension” (including Penn Station, opened in 1910). Now that commuters could “get to the other side” by safe, comfortable electric traction trains, it was time for cars and trucks to get their turn. Opened in 1927, the Holland Tunnel would provide just such trans-Hudson communication for cars, trucks and buses without the perils of carbon monoxide poisoning since it was to be the world’s first ventilated vehicular tunnel. Its success spawned a need to expand, thus was created the GWB and by 1937, the first (of three) tubes of the Lincoln Tunnel would connect midtown Manhattan with the rest of the country. Thus, was the Conquest of the Hudson completed.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ferries_across_the_Hudson_River_to_New_York_City

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_%26_Manhattan_Railroad

https://archive.org/stream/newyorktunnelex01engigoog#page/n4/mode/2up
(New York Tunnel Extension, The Pennsylvania RR: Description of the Work and Facilities – Transactions of the ASCE, September 1910)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9pPLbROgrE
(short film: “Holland’s Tunnel”)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland_Tunnel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_Manhattan_Expressway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge
https://archive.org/details/CLN-37-G-3
(silent film ca. 1950 – drive over bridge and back)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Tunnel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-Manhattan_Expressway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJi2-I18kW4
(Film: Ready to Build: Hudson Tunnel Project - 02:53)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSz0I9_lAVU
(Film: Hudson Tunnel Project Animation - 02:13)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M26t7O79QWI
(Film: Hudson River Tunnel and North Jersey Rail Connection - 08:31)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_MvbTxIbyY
(Film: Fixing Penn Station and Hudson River Tunnels - 35:04)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuWM6-xOQCY
(Film: The world's Longest Bridges - 08:50)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0WSPkdf1OE
(Film: World's Most Extreme Bridges - 52:06)

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.