Highway Under the Hudson

by Jackson, Robert W.

• ISBN13: 9780814742990
• ISBN10: 0814742998
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-12-01
• Publisher: New York Univ Pr

Summary

Every year, more than thirty-three million vehicles traverse the Holland Tunnel, making their way to and from Jersey City and Lower Manhattan. From tourists to commuters, many cross the tunnel's 1.6 mile corridor on a daily basis, and yet few know much about this amazing feat of early 20th-century engineering. How was it built, by whom, and at what cost? These and many other questions are answered inHighway under the Hudson: A History of the Holland Tunnel, Robert W. Jackson's fascinating story about this seminal structure in the history of urban transportation. Jackson explains the economic forces which led to the need for the tunnel, and details the extraordinary political and social politicking that took place on both sides of the Hudson River to finally enable its construction. He also introduces us to important figures in the tunnels history, such as New Jersey Governor Walter E. Edge, who, more than anyone else, made the dream of a tunnel a reality and George Washington Goethals (builder of the Panama Canal and namesake of the Goethals Bridge), the first chief engineer of the project. Fully illustrated with more then 50 beautiful archival photographs and drawings, Jackson's story of the Holland Tunnel is one of great human drama, with heroes and villains, that illustrates how great things are accomplished, and at what price.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
The Impetus	p. 9
Vexing Questions	p. 22
A Coal Famine	p. 41
The Wedding Ring	p. 63
A Controversy Acute and Personal	p. 85
Political and Petty Tampering	p. 102
Another Long and Costly Delay	p. 117
A Tempest in a Teapot	p. 132
The Sandhogs	p. 149
The Holland Tunnel	p. 165
One Work Complete	p. 180
Fires, Blasts Rip Holland Tunnel	p. 193
Built to Last Forever	p. 211
Acknowledgments	p. 225
Notes	p. 227
Bibliography	p. 253
Index	p. 257
About the Author	p. 266
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