Editing Holland Tunnel (section)

===Opening===
[[File:Holland Tunnel Entrance - panoramio.jpg|alt=|thumb|upright=1.1|The tunnel's [[Lower Manhattan]] entrance in July 2010]]
The Holland Tunnel was officially opened at 4:55&nbsp;p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]] on November 12, 1927. President [[Calvin Coolidge|Coolidge]] ceremonially opened the tunnel from his yacht by turning the same key that had opened the [[Panama Canal]] in 1915.<ref name="nyt-1927-11-13">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/13/archives/great-crowd-treks-into-holland-tubes-after-gala-opening-thousands.html|title=Great Crowd Treks Into Holland Tubes After Gala Opening|date=November 13, 1927|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 9, 2018|archive-date=May 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510052618/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/13/archives/great-crowd-treks-into-holland-tubes-after-gala-opening-thousands.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine reported that Coolidge had used "the golden lever of the Presidential telegraphic instrument."<ref name="Time1927" /> It rang a giant brass bell at the tunnel's entrances that triggered American flags on both sides of the tunnel to separate.<ref name="Time1927" /><ref name="nyt-1927-11-13" /> The tunnel's opening ceremony was broadcast on local radio stations.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/12/archives/radios-will-carry-tunnel-exercises-dedication-and-new-jersey-fete.html|title=Radios Will Carry Tunnel Exercises|date=November 12, 1927|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 9, 2018|archive-date=May 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510054354/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/12/archives/radios-will-carry-tunnel-exercises-dedication-and-new-jersey-fete.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Approximately 20,000 people walked the entire length of the Holland Tunnel before it was closed to pedestrians at 7 p.m. The Holland Tunnel officially opened to vehicular traffic at 12:01&nbsp;a.m. on November 13, the next day; over a thousand vehicles had gathered on the New Jersey side, ready to pay a toll.<ref name="nyt-1927-11-13" /> The first car to pay a toll was driven by the daughter of the chairman of New Jersey's [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|Bridge and Tunnel Commission]]. The widows of chief engineers Holland and Freeman rode in the second vehicle that paid a toll.<ref name="Time1927" /><ref name="nyt-1927-11-13" /> At the time, the Holland Tunnel was the world's longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel,<ref name="Time1927" /><ref name="ASCE" /> as well as the world's first tunnel designed specifically for vehicular traffic.<ref name="ASCE" /><ref name="nris" />{{rp|8}}

Each passenger car paid a 50-cent toll<ref name="nyt-1927-11-02" /> (worth about ${{Format price|{{round|{{Inflation|US|0.5|1927|r=2}}|2}}}} in {{inflation-year|US}}{{r|inflation-US}}<!--{{inflation-fn|US}}-->). Tolls for other vehicular classes ranged from 25 cents for a motorcycle to two dollars for large trucks.<ref name="New York Sun 1927" /><ref name="Time1927" /><ref name="nyt-1927-11-02">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/02/archives/toll-scale-is-fixed-for-holland-tunnel-cars-up-to-sevenpassenger.html|title=Toll Scale Is Fixed For Holland Tunnel|date=November 2, 1927|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 9, 2018|archive-date=May 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510052649/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/02/archives/toll-scale-is-fixed-for-holland-tunnel-cars-up-to-sevenpassenger.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Commuter bus routes, which paid a 50-cent-per-vehicle toll,<ref name="nyt-1927-11-02" /> began operating through the tunnel in December 1927.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/12/16/archives/holland-tunnel-buses-service-to-jersey-city-at-15-and-25-cents-to.html|title=Holland Tunnel Buses|date=December 16, 1927|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 11, 2018|archive-date=May 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516015249/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/12/16/archives/holland-tunnel-buses-service-to-jersey-city-at-15-and-25-cents-to.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Truckers subsequently objected that these rates were too high, as the Holland Tunnel truck tolls were double the tolls that were charged on the trans-Hudson ferries; by contrast, the tunnel's passenger vehicle, motorcycle, and bus tolls were on par with those charged by the ferries.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/03/archives/truckmen-protest-holland-tube-rates-tolls-called-beyond-reason.html|title=Truckmen Protest Holland Tube Rates|date=November 3, 1927|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 9, 2018|archive-date=May 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510050804/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/03/archives/truckmen-protest-holland-tube-rates-tolls-called-beyond-reason.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The toll revenues would be used to pay off the tunnel's cost<ref name="Time1927" /><ref name="Barron 1994">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/27/nyregion/a-tunnel-holland-named-us-historic-landmark.html|title=A Tunnel? Holland Named U.S. Historic Landmark|last=Barron|first=James|date=June 27, 1994|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=September 25, 2008|author-link=James Barron (journalist)|archive-date=December 30, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091230182006/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/27/nyregion/a-tunnel-holland-named-us-historic-landmark.html|url-status=live}}</ref> (which was estimated at $48&nbsp;million in 1927 dollars,<ref name="Time1927" /><ref name="Barron 1994" /><ref name="nyt-1926-12-27">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1926/12/27/archives/holland-tunnels-to-cost-48400000-5741000-above-1924-figures-when.html|title=Holland Tunnels To Cost $48,400,000|date=December 27, 1926|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 9, 2018|archive-date=May 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510052748/https://www.nytimes.com/1926/12/27/archives/holland-tunnels-to-cost-48400000-5741000-above-1924-figures-when.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|48000000|1927}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars). Within ten years of opening, it was expected that all construction costs would be paid off.<ref name="nyt-1926-12-27" /> Horsedrawn vehicles were banned from the tunnel from the start, since it was believed that horses' slow speeds would cause traffic congestion in the tubes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/03/27/archives/would-bar-horses-from-holland-tube-commissioner-bloomingdale-says.html|title=Would Bar Horses From Holland Tube|date=March 27, 1927|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 9, 2018|archive-date=May 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510052549/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/03/27/archives/would-bar-horses-from-holland-tube-commissioner-bloomingdale-says.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Pedestrian and bicycle traffic was also banned. A few months before the tunnel's opening, there were suggestions that pedestrians would be allowed to cross the tunnel if they paid a toll described as "not encouraging", but the idea was never seriously considered.<ref>{{cite news |title=Holland Tube Roadways Involve a Huge Task |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/08/21/archives/holland-tube-roadways-involve-a-huge-task-engineering-effort-now.html |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=August 21, 1927 |page=XX10 |access-date=May 29, 2010 |first=Waldo |last=Walker |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325171523/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/08/21/archives/holland-tube-roadways-involve-a-huge-task-engineering-effort-now.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Holland Tunnel was expected to relieve congestion on the vehicular ferries across the Hudson River, since the capacity of the tunnel was similar to that of the vehicular ferries. Upon opening, it had been estimated that up to 15&nbsp;million vehicles per year could use the tunnel in both directions, equating to a maximum daily capacity of 46,000 vehicles or an hourly capacity of 3,800 vehicles.<ref name="nyt-1926-05-30" /><ref name="New York Sun 1926" /><ref name="New York Sun 1927" /> Singstad stated that increasing freight traffic across the river would result in a corresponding increase in truck traffic, which would then cause the tunnel to reach its maximum traffic capacity shortly after its opening.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/09/17/archives/fears-truck-jam-in-holland-tube-lingstad-says-railroads-will-ship.html|title=Fears Truck Jam In Holland Tube|date=September 17, 1927|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 9, 2018|archive-date=May 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510054339/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/09/17/archives/fears-truck-jam-in-holland-tube-lingstad-says-railroads-will-ship.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Holland Tunnel was immediately popular. On November 13, a Sunday, 52,285 vehicles passed through the tunnel on its first day of operation, more than its projected maximum capacity. The lines to enter the tunnel stretched for miles on either end, although many of these vehicles were passenger cars who were making a round trip to tour the tunnel.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/14/archives/52285-autos-jam-the-holland-tube-in-sightseeing-day-endless-stream.html|title=52,285 Autos Jam The Holland Tube In 'Sightseeing' Day|date=November 14, 1927|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 10, 2018|archive-date=May 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516020610/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/14/archives/52285-autos-jam-the-holland-tube-in-sightseeing-day-endless-stream.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Time1927" /> On November 14, the Holland Tunnel's first weekday of operation, the tunnel carried 17,726 cars.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/15/archives/traffic-in-tunnel-40-per-cent-trucks-holland-tube-in-first-business.html|title=Traffic In Tunnel 40 Per Cent. Trucks|date=November 15, 1927|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 10, 2018|archive-date=May 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516020726/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/15/archives/traffic-in-tunnel-40-per-cent-trucks-holland-tube-in-first-business.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Traffic counts in the Holland Tunnel remained relatively steady until the following weekend, when over 40,000 vehicles went through the tunnel.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/21/archives/sightseers-again-jam-holland-tube-up-to-midnight-40000-vehicles.html|title=Sightseers Again Jam Holland Tube|date=November 21, 1927|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 10, 2018|archive-date=May 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516015305/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/21/archives/sightseers-again-jam-holland-tube-up-to-midnight-40000-vehicles.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The first holiday rush period for the Holland Tunnel occurred two weeks after the tunnel's opening, when around 30,000 motorists used the tunnel over the Thanksgiving holiday; there were no major traffic disruptions.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/25/archives/holiday-test-for-tunnel-no-hitch-in-traffic-in-holland-tube-30000.html|title=Holiday Test for Tunnel|date=November 25, 1927|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 10, 2018|archive-date=May 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516015301/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/25/archives/holiday-test-for-tunnel-no-hitch-in-traffic-in-holland-tube-30000.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A half-million vehicles had passed through the Holland Tunnel within three weeks,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/12/06/archives/holland-tubes-500000th-car-brings-yule-trees-to-the-city.html|title=Holland Tube's 500,000th Car Brings Yule Trees to the City|date=December 6, 1927|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 10, 2018|archive-date=May 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516020634/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/12/06/archives/holland-tubes-500000th-car-brings-yule-trees-to-the-city.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and a million had used the tubes by New Year's Day.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1928/01/02/archives/million-cars-use-tunnel-driver-is-held-for-assault-when-tube.html|title=Million Cars Use Tunnel|date=January 1, 1928|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 11, 2018|archive-date=May 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516015245/https://www.nytimes.com/1928/01/02/archives/million-cars-use-tunnel-driver-is-held-for-assault-when-tube.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Within the tunnel's first year, 8.5&nbsp;million vehicles had used it, and the toll revenue had grossed $4.7&nbsp;million in profit; it was estimated that at this rate, the Holland Tunnel's construction costs might be paid off sooner than expected.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1928/11/14/archives/8517689-vehicles-used-tube-in-year-statement-that-holland-tunnel.html|title=8,517,689 Vehicles Used Tube In Year|date=November 14, 1928|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 11, 2018|archive-date=May 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516014641/https://www.nytimes.com/1928/11/14/archives/8517689-vehicles-used-tube-in-year-statement-that-holland-tunnel.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Trans-Hudson ferries reported that their traffic counts had been halved in the two weeks since the tunnel opened,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/30/archives/new-tunnel-hurts-ferries-erie-railroad-reports-45-to-50-loss-in.html|title=New Tunnel Hurts Ferries|date=November 30, 1927|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 10, 2018|archive-date=May 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516014647/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/11/30/archives/new-tunnel-hurts-ferries-erie-railroad-reports-45-to-50-loss-in.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and at least one ferry route reduced service within one month of the opening.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/12/29/archives/ferry-schedule-curtailed-line-to-hoboken-is-affected-by-vehicular.html|title=Ferry Schedule Curtailed|date=December 29, 1927|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 11, 2018|archive-date=May 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516020547/https://www.nytimes.com/1927/12/29/archives/ferry-schedule-curtailed-line-to-hoboken-is-affected-by-vehicular.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Another ferry cut its toll rates to half those of the Holland Tunnel in an effort to recover business.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1928/05/08/archives/tunnel-competition-cuts-ferry-rates-erie-railroad-announces.html|title=Tunnel Competition Cuts Ferry Rates|date=May 8, 1928|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 11, 2018|archive-date=May 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516014622/https://www.nytimes.com/1928/05/08/archives/tunnel-competition-cuts-ferry-rates-erie-railroad-announces.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[PATH (rail system)|The Hudson & Manhattan Railroad (later PATH)]], which operated rapid transit services across the Hudson River through its [[Uptown Hudson Tubes|Uptown]] and [[Downtown Hudson Tubes]], also saw a decline in ridership after the Holland Tunnel opened.<ref>{{Cite Cudahy-Hudson}}</ref>{{rp|55}} Even after the start of the [[Great Depression]] in 1929, when most transit in New York City saw declines, the Holland Tunnel saw an increase in traffic, as did ferry lines.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/05/09/archives/travel-into-city-shows-big-decline-only-vehicular-traffic-by-the.html|title=Travel Into City Shows Big Decline|date=May 9, 1932|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=May 11, 2018|archive-date=May 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516020948/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/05/09/archives/travel-into-city-shows-big-decline-only-vehicular-traffic-by-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref>