Battery Park Underpass
{{short description|Tunnel in Manhattan, New York}}
{{About|the tunnel under the Battery connecting FDR Drive and the West Side Highway in Manhattan|the tunnel under the East River connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn|Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel}}
{{Infobox tunnel
| name = Battery Park Underpass
| image = 2024-05-20 14 52 10 View north along New York State Route 9A (West Side Highway) from the Battery Park Underpass in Manhattan, New York City, New York.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Western portal at West Street
| other_name =
| location = Battery Park, Manhattan, New York City
| coordinates = {{coord|40|42|09|N|74|00|58|W|display=inline,title}}
| os_grid_ref =
| status =
| route = {{jct|state=NY|Parkway|FDR}}
| start = {{jct|state=NY|Parkway|FDR|road|South Street}} in Financial District
| end = {{jct|state=NY|NY|9A|road|West Side Highway}} in Battery Park City
| startwork =
| opened = {{Start date|1951|04|10}}{{cite news |title=City Opens Underpass at Battery, $10,000,000 Link in Express Route |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/04/11/archives/city-opens-underpass-at-battery-10000000-link-in-express-route-new.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 11, 1951 |page=31 |accessdate=April 12, 2010 }}
| closed = October 29, 2012{{Cite news |url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/battery-tunnel-to-partly-reopen-to-motorists-at-4-p-m/ |title=Battery Tunnel Partly Reopens to Motorists |first=Andy |last=Newman |date=November 13, 2012 |newspaper=The New York Times }}
| rebuilt =
| owner =
| operator =
| traffic = Automotive
| character =
| toll =
| vpd =
| engineer =
| construction = 1949–1951
| length =
| lanes = 4
| speed = {{convert|30-40|mph|kph}}
| hielevation =
| lowelevation =
| height = {{convert|12|ft|7|in|m}}
| width =
| grade =
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| extra =
}}
The Battery Park Underpass is a vehicular tunnel at the southernmost tip of Manhattan, New York City, near the neighborhoods of South Ferry and Battery Park City. The tunnel connects FDR Drive, which runs along the east side of Manhattan Island, with the West Side Highway (New York State Route 9A, or NY 9A), which runs along the island's west side. Opened in 1951, it was the second section of FDR Drive to be completed. The underpass crosses beneath the Battery (formerly Battery Park) and the approach to the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel.
History
Image:Battery Park Underpass east port jeh.JPG in front of the Battery Maritime Building]]
The underpass started construction in 1949{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/02/01/archives/breaking-ground-for-9500000-battery-park-project.html|title=Breaking Ground for $9,500,000 Battery Park Project|date=1949-02-01|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-05-13|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} and opened to the public on April 10, 1951. The underpass runs underneath the Battery, connecting the West Side Highway to the South Street Viaduct with two lanes of traffic in each direction. The project was completed shortly after the opening of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel in 1950, and provides direct access between the West Side Highway and FDR Drive.{{cite book | title = Guide to Civil Engineering Projects In and Around New York City | edition = 2nd | publisher = Metropolitan Section, American Society of Civil Engineers | year = 2009 | pages = 61–62 }}
In 2005, during the reconstruction of NY 9A, the western end of the Battery Park Underpass was extended to the north by about {{convert|25|ft|m}} to provide a U-turn lane and amenities for pedestrians and bicyclists.{{cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |title=A Little Easier Getting Around Downtown |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 2, 2005 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/02/nyregion/a-little-easier-getting-around-downtown.html |accessdate=2009-07-25}}
During Hurricane Sandy, the tunnel was filled with seawater and required major repairs.{{cite web |url=https://abc7ny.com/archive/8883986/ |title=Battery Park Underpass partially reopens |publisher=WABC-TV |date=November 13, 2012 |access-date=April 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425002737/http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=resources%2Ftraffic&id=8883986 |archive-date=April 25, 2014 |url-status=live }}
=Plans for extension=
There have been three proposals to extend the tunnel north on the FDR Drive side.
- In 1971, it was suggested that the South Street Viaduct be turned into a tunnel, essentially extending the underpass north to the Brooklyn Bridge
- In 2002, the Downtown Alliance, the local business improvement district, called for a 350-foot (105 m) extension to the underpass to create a plaza in front of the Battery Maritime Building. The estimated cost was $70 million.{{cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |title=Plans for the Neglected East River Shoreline |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 1, 2002 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/01/nyregion/blocks-plans-for-the-neglected-east-river-shoreline.html |accessdate=2010-10-20}}
- In 2005, Mayor Michael Bloomberg also called for an extension of the underpass near the Battery Maritime Building as part of a plan to rehabilitate the South Street Viaduct.{{cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |title=Restoring a Missing Link: Lower Manhattan to the East River |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 2, 2005 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/02/nyregion/along-the-east-river-everything-old-is-to-be-made-new-again.html |accessdate=2009-07-25}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commonscat}}
- [http://www.nycroads.com/roads/fdr/ FDR at NYCRoads.com]
{{NYC Bridge}}
Category:1951 establishments in New York City
Category:Tunnels completed in 1951