Editing Lincoln Tunnel (section)

=== First tube ===

==== Early progress ====
In November 1933, the Port Authority announced that it had picked the chief engineers for the Midtown Hudson Tunnel. These officials included [[O. H. Ammann]] as the Chief Engineer; Ole Singstad, the New York and New Jersey Tunnel Commissions' former chief engineer, as the Chief Tunnel Consulting Engineer; [[Ralph Smillie]], the [[Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority]] chief engineer, as Design Engineer; [[Robert Ridgway (engineer)|Robert Ridgway]] and [[James Forgie (engineer)|James Forgie]] as tunnel consultants; [[Charles S. Gleim]] as Engineer of Construction; and Port Authority Commissioner [[Alexander J. Shamberg]] as chief of the division that would oversee construction. The Port Authority's former chairman, John Galvin, would be retained as a consultant.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|61}}<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/11/19/archives/engineers-named-for-38th-st-tube-shamberg-to-direct-building-of.html |title=Engineers Named for 38th St. Tube |date=November 19, 1933 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 24, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325051944/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/11/19/archives/engineers-named-for-38th-st-tube-shamberg-to-direct-building-of.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The construction work itself would be supervised by [[George Breck Montgomery]], who had served in the same position for the Holland Tunnel's construction.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|62}}

The tube would stretch {{Convert|6000|ft|m}} from the New Jersey side's ventilation shaft to the New York side's construction shaft, but the total length between portals would be {{Convert|8218|ft|m}}. It was slated to have a diameter of {{Convert|31|ft|m}} carrying a {{Convert|21|ft|m|-wide|adj=mid}} roadway, with a cast-iron and steel outer lining and a concrete inner lining. This contract would also include the construction of ventilation shafts on each side, as well as {{Convert|60|ft|m}} of additional tunnel on the New Jersey side. The tube was to be bored using the [[Tunnelling shield|shield-tunneling method]], and shields would proceed from both sides at the same time. The shield on the New York side would pass through a [[Caisson (engineering)|caisson]], which allowed air pressure in the tunnel to be maintained while the tube was being bored. Tunneling work would start on the New York side first because a construction shaft had already been sunk to the west of [[Eleventh Avenue (Manhattan)|Eleventh Avenue]], while the New Jersey shaft would be sunk later.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/01/02/archives/38th-st-tube-bs-to-be-opened-feb6-contract-for-underriver.html |title=38th St. Tube Is to Be Opened Feb. 6 |date=January 2, 1934 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 24, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325050056/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/01/02/archives/38th-st-tube-bs-to-be-opened-feb6-contract-for-underriver.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Thirty-two ventilation buildings would be constructed, of which 15 would pull air into the tunnel, and 17 would exhaust air from the tunnel.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/01/28/archives/how-tube-is-ventilated-mechanical-engineer-describes-system-in.html |title=How Tube Is Ventilated |date=January 28, 1938 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 27, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328044400/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/01/28/archives/how-tube-is-ventilated-mechanical-engineer-describes-system-in.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Port Authority received five bids for the construction of the Midtown Hudson Tunnel.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/02/22/archives/five-bid-on-section-of-midtown-tube-only-new-york-firms-seek.html |title=Five Bid on Section of Midtown Tube |date=February 22, 1934 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 24, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325045654/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/02/22/archives/five-bid-on-section-of-midtown-tube-only-new-york-firms-seek.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Construction began on the first tube, now the center of the three tubes, on May 18, 1934, with ceremonies on both sides. Officials from the federal, state, and city levels were in attendance at the ceremony on the New York side, where New York City Mayor [[Fiorello H. La Guardia]] and New Jersey Governor [[A. Harry Moore]] wielded picks to dig up the ceremonial first mound of dirt.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|62–65}}<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/05/18/archives/fetes-in-2-states-start-hudson-tube-37000000-midtown-project-is.html |title=Fetes in 2 States Start Hudson Tube |date=May 18, 1934 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 24, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325050829/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/05/18/archives/fetes-in-2-states-start-hudson-tube-37000000-midtown-project-is.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The 700-ton cubical caisson for the New York side was floated into place and sunk into the riverbed in July.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/07/18/archives/article-6-no-title-600ton-caisson-for-the-38th-st-tunnel-floated.html |title=600-Ton Caisson for the 38th St. Tunnel Floated Here on Tide and Put Into Place |date=July 18, 1934 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 24, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325051916/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/07/18/archives/article-6-no-title-600ton-caisson-for-the-38th-st-tunnel-floated.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Even though the caisson had been manufactured in nearby [[Kearny, New Jersey]], it had taken two days to be floated to Manhattan because the caisson was so large.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|66}}  Also in July, issues arose when the City of Weehawken refused to let the Port Authority conduct blasting for the New Jersey ventilation shaft for more than 12 hours a day. The Port Authority warned that this could delay construction.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/07/07/archives/free-hand-asked-for-tube-blasting-port-authority-seeks-to-lift.html |title=Free Hand Asked for Tube Blasting |date=July 7, 1934 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 24, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325105704/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/07/07/archives/free-hand-asked-for-tube-blasting-port-authority-seeks-to-lift.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Another disagreement concerned the hiring of unskilled laborers to work on the Midtown Hudson Tunnel construction project. Unionized skilled laborers, who feared that their specialized jobs were being given to unskilled laborers, briefly threatened to strike over "unfair labor practices", as the author [[Angus Gillespie]] states in his book ''Crossing Under the Hudson''.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|67}} After twenty days, officials guaranteed that skilled jobs would be awarded only to skilled laborers, and work resumed.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|67–69}}

[[File:Lincoln Tunnel under construction 1936.jpg|thumb|Construction progress, 1936]]

Meanwhile, the Port Authority still had not acquired and cleared all of the land in the way of the Midtown Hudson Tunnel's approaches.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/06/22/archives/492650-awarded-for-tunnel-land-covers-12-of-37-actions-by-port.html |title=$492,650 Awarded for Tunnel Land |date=June 22, 1934 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 24, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325050823/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/06/22/archives/492650-awarded-for-tunnel-land-covers-12-of-37-actions-by-port.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Construction of the approaches on the New York side necessitated the demolition of 91 buildings, mainly tenements, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues from 34th to 42nd Street.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|69}} These buildings, located in the neighborhood of [[Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan|Hell's Kitchen]], were seen as either being already dilapidated, or nearing such a condition.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/08/27/archives/part-of-hells-kitchen-doomed-by-tunnel-91-houses-to-be-razed-to.html |title=Part of Hell's Kitchen Doomed by Tunnel: 91 Houses to Be Razed to Build Approach |date=August 27, 1934 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 24, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325050735/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/08/27/archives/part-of-hells-kitchen-doomed-by-tunnel-91-houses-to-be-razed-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The demolition process was inadvertently aided by a fire that burned down one of the condemned buildings in October 1934.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/10/27/archives/blaze-in-39th-st-aids-tube-project-warehouse-in-hells-kitchen-burns.html |title=Blaze in 39th St. Aids Tube Project |date=October 27, 1934 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 24, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325051018/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/10/27/archives/blaze-in-39th-st-aids-tube-project-warehouse-in-hells-kitchen-burns.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Bidding for the New York approach was opened in June 1935, by which point the demolition of the 91 buildings was well underway.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/06/14/archives/bids-are-opened-for-tunnel-plaza-ten-contractors-make-offers-for.html |title=Bids Are Opened for Tunnel Plaza |date=June 14, 1935 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326154903/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/06/14/archives/bids-are-opened-for-tunnel-plaza-ten-contractors-make-offers-for.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On the New Jersey side, there were disagreements over how to construct the approach, since Weehawken had been built on a sharp ledge called King's Bluff. In July 1935, after discussing 75 proposals for two and a half years, the Weehawken town council voted to approve a distinctive "loop" approach.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|65}}<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/07/13/archives/weehawken-votes-for-tube-approach-town-board-approves-loop-plan.html |title=Weehawken Votes for Tube Approach |date=July 13, 1935 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326153341/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/07/13/archives/weehawken-votes-for-tube-approach-town-board-approves-loop-plan.html |url-status=live }}</ref> At the western end of the Midtown Hudson Tunnel in New Jersey, the tube would curve south and then end at a portal, where there would be a toll plaza. A road would diverge to the east, then quickly turn north and then west while ascending the ledge.<ref name="NYTimes-ApproachModel-1936">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/11/21/archives/approach-to-tunnel-is-shown-in-model-port-authority-exhibits-design.html |title=Approach to Tunnel Is Shown in Model |date=November 21, 1936 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327023816/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/11/21/archives/approach-to-tunnel-is-shown-in-model-port-authority-exhibits-design.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This loop would lead from [[Boulevard East|Hudson Boulevard East]] at the bottom of King's Bluff to Pleasant Avenue at the top.<ref name="The New York Times 1937 3">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/07/09/archives/tunnel-approach-bid-let-contract-for-jersey-construction-calls-for.html |title=Tunnel Approach Bid Let |date=July 9, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 27, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328042826/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/07/09/archives/tunnel-approach-bid-let-contract-for-jersey-construction-calls-for.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Sandhog]]s, specialized construction workers, proceeded to dig the Midtown Hudson Tunnel from both ends, boring a tube that measured {{Convert|32|ft|m}} in diameter and {{Convert|8,000|ft|m}} between ventilation shafts.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|65}} It was generally easier to dig from the New Jersey side, which consisted mostly of muddy sediment, than from the New York side, which contained many tons of rocks.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|71}} Compressed air was used to prevent river water from flooding the tunnel, and a temporary [[Bulkhead (barrier)|bulkhead]] was built a few yards past the construction shaft, through which air was pumped. The tunneling shields continued digging past the bulkhead, within the pressurized chamber. An [[airlock]] was provided in order to prevent workers from undergoing sudden depressurization.<ref name="Robbins 1935" /> Each sandhog worked two 3-hour-long shifts per day, punctuated by a break of three hours.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|66}} After a section of the bore was completed, the sandhogs assembled segments of 14 curved metal pieces into rings that measured 31 feet in diameter and weighed 20 tons.<ref name="Robbins 1935">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/03/17/archives/under-the-hudson-with-the-sandhogs-an-adventurous-crew-using.html |title=Under The Hudson with the Sandhogs |last=Robbins |first=L. H. |date=March 17, 1935 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326153253/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/03/17/archives/under-the-hudson-with-the-sandhogs-an-adventurous-crew-using.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During the process of construction, {{Convert|145000|yd3|m3}} of sediment and earth and {{Convert|28000|yd3|m3}} of rocky dirt were displaced, and 2,370 metal rings were installed.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/07/28/archives/midtown-river-tube-pushes-on-to-goal-when-400ton-shield-bumps.html |title=Midtown River Tube Pushes on to Goal |last=Bernstein |first=Victor H. |date=July 28, 1935 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326153240/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/07/28/archives/midtown-river-tube-pushes-on-to-goal-when-400ton-shield-bumps.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The reporter [[L.H. Robbins]] wrote a descriptive account of the construction work, comparing the tunnel shield to a "Steel Hercules", calling the sandhogs "ox-strong, rough-clad", and describing the tunnel itself as being like "a bit of the realm of Tartarus".<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|69–71}}

The Midtown Hudson Tunnel's vehicular tube was being excavated from both ends, but the teams on the New Jersey side worked faster because the ground there was softer. As a result, most of the work had been undertaken by the teams working from the New Jersey side, and the two ends of the tube were ultimately connected at the caisson on the New York side.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|72}} The tunneling work posed some danger: three workers were killed in tunneling incidents during the first year of construction, and a dynamite accident in April 1935 killed three more sandhogs.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/04/09/archives/3-dead-1-injured-by-tunnel-blast-133-pounds-of-dynamite-set-off.html |title=3 Dead, 1 Injured by Tunnel Blast |date=April 9, 1935 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326153243/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/04/09/archives/3-dead-1-injured-by-tunnel-blast-133-pounds-of-dynamite-set-off.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The sandhogs dug at an average rate of {{Convert|25|ft|m}} per day,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/02/20/archives/cameras-record-work-under-river-sandhogs-toil-on-midtown-tunnel-in.html |title=Cameras Record Work Under River |date=February 20, 1935 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326154858/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/02/20/archives/cameras-record-work-under-river-sandhogs-toil-on-midtown-tunnel-in.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and by May 1935, workers from the New Jersey side had dug past the state border.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|72}} By June, half of the tunnel had been excavated.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/05/28/archives/pass-halfway-mark-on-tunnel.html |title=Pass Half-Way Mark on Tunnel |date=May 28, 1935 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326154741/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/05/28/archives/pass-halfway-mark-on-tunnel.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During one week that month, sandhogs dug {{Convert|250|ft|m}} of tunnel,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/06/11/archives/tunnel-work-set-record-250-feet-of-midtown-hudson-tube-built-last.html |title=Tunnel Work Set Record |date=June 11, 1935 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326161850/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/06/11/archives/tunnel-work-set-record-250-feet-of-midtown-hudson-tube-built-last.html |url-status=live }}</ref> which the Port Authority proclaimed was world record in tunnel-digging.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|72}} The two parts of the tube were connected in a ceremony in August 1935, four months ahead of schedule.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/08/03/archives/hudson-sandhogs-set-tunnel-mark-holing-through-for-midtown-tube.html |title=Hudson Sandhogs Set Tunnel Mark |date=August 3, 1935 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326160321/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/08/03/archives/hudson-sandhogs-set-tunnel-mark-holing-through-for-midtown-tube.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The method of financing the Midtown Hudson Tunnel was revised in late 1935. Originally, the Port Authority had advertised $34.3 million in bonds at a 4% interest rate, with the first issue of bonds set to mature in 1975.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252011%2FNew%2520York%2520Evening%2520Post%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Evening%2520Post%25201935%2520Grayscale%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Evening%2520Post%25201935%2520Grayscale%2520-%25201800.pdf |title=The Port of New York Authority General and Refunding Bonds to Be Dated March 1, 1935 |date=March 1, 1935 |work=New York Evening Post |access-date=April 14, 2018 |pages=21 |via=Old Fulton New York Postcards |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124023540/https://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/New%20York%20Evening%20Post/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201935%20Grayscale/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201935%20Grayscale%20-%201800.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In November, the PWA announced that it would change the $37.5 million loan to a $4.78 million grant once the Port Authority had sold the PWA $22.3 million in bonds.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/11/26/archives/pwa-drops-tunnel-loan-outright-grant-of-4780000-approved-instead.html |title=PWA Drops Tunnel Loan |date=November 26, 1935 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326154725/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/11/26/archives/pwa-drops-tunnel-loan-outright-grant-of-4780000-approved-instead.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The rest of the outstanding balance, approximately $10.4 million, was to be raised privately, and the Port Authority would have raised $32.7 million in bonds by the time the grant was awarded.<ref name="The New York Times 1936">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/01/29/archives/financing-altered-for-midtown-tube-entire-pwa-loan-originally-set.html |title=Financing Altered For Midtown Tube |date=1936 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326153306/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/01/29/archives/financing-altered-for-midtown-tube-entire-pwa-loan-originally-set.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The next month, the Port Authority awarded a $16.5 million bond issue at {{Frac|3|3|4}}% interest rate.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/12/12/archives/tunnel-bonds-sold-by-port-authority-banking-group-bids-97111-for.html |title=Tunnel Bonds Sold by Port Authority |date=December 12, 1935 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326161844/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/12/12/archives/tunnel-bonds-sold-by-port-authority-banking-group-bids-97111-for.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The PWA advanced the grant to the Port Authority in January 1936.<ref name="The New York Times 1936" />

In December 1935, the Port Authority advertised bids for the Weehawken entrance plaza. The plaza consisted of the loop approach; garages for maintenance buildings; a tollbooth; a {{Convert|145|ft|m|adj=on}} steel, brick, and sandstone ventilation building above the tunnel; a section of tube connecting the plaza to the existing underwater segment; and space for a second tunnel portal to the north of the first portal.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/12/20/archives/13-bids-are-submitted-for-midtown-tunnel-3706458-is-the-lowest.html |title=13 Bids Are Submitted for Midtown Tunnel |date=December 20, 1935 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326154900/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/12/20/archives/13-bids-are-submitted-for-midtown-tunnel-3706458-is-the-lowest.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|74}} By this time, the Midtown Hudson Tunnel project was one-third completed.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/12/08/archives/tunnel-third-completed-record-being-set-in-boring-of-midtown-tube.html |title=Tunnel Third Completed |date=December 8, 1935 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326160305/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/12/08/archives/tunnel-third-completed-record-being-set-in-boring-of-midtown-tube.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The part of the tube that connected to the entrance plaza was holed-through in September of the same year.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/09/02/archives/midtown-tunnel-is-holed-through-last-25foot-section-blasted-on-new.html |title=Midtown Tunnel Is Holed Through |date=September 2, 1936 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326153233/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/09/02/archives/midtown-tunnel-is-holed-through-last-25foot-section-blasted-on-new.html |url-status=live }}</ref> New Jersey civic groups stated that they needed to raise another $9 million in bond funds, since the construction of the proposed entrance plaza in Weehawken would bring the project's cost to $46.5 million.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/02/18/archives/more-funds-asked-for-hudson-tube-jersey-group-headed-by-moore.html |title=More Funds Asked for Hudson Tube |date=February 18, 1936 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326153231/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/02/18/archives/more-funds-asked-for-hudson-tube-jersey-group-headed-by-moore.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This cost would be composed of $42 million raised in bonds plus the $4.78 million PWA grant.<ref name="The New York Times 1936 2">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/11/25/archives/twin-hudson-tube-to-be-bored-soon-at-33000000-cost-port-authority.html |title=Twin Hudson Tube to Be Bored Soon at $33,000,000 Cost |date=November 25, 1936 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327032151/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/11/25/archives/twin-hudson-tube-to-be-bored-soon-at-33000000-cost-port-authority.html |url-status=live }}</ref> That November, the Port Authority's commissioners authorized the agency to seek an additional $9 million in funds from the PWA.<ref name="The New York Times 1936 2" />

Simultaneously, work began on retrofitting the tunnel for vehicular use, so it could be in operation by the time the [[1939 New York World's Fair]] started. The retrofits consisted of installing ceiling panels with exhaust pipes; a roadway with air ducts; and straight retaining walls with ceramic tiles, metal police booths, and a catwalk for maintenance and emergency uses.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|72–73}} Workers installed 800,000 glass tiles, each {{Convert|6|in|cm}} square, along the ceiling of the tube, comprising what ''The New York Times'' described as "the largest glass ceiling in the world".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/12/17/archives/glass-tile-ceiling-planned-for-tube-largest-overhead-covering-of.html |title=Glass Tile Ceiling Planned for Tube |date=December 17, 1935 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327084124/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/12/17/archives/glass-tile-ceiling-planned-for-tube-largest-overhead-covering-of.html |url-status=live }}</ref> After an unexpected gasoline leak from gas stations near the Midtown Hudson Tunnel, workers installed fireproof copper sheeting within the tunnel.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/03/14/archives/tunnel-cost-up-60000-copper-sheet-to-stop-gasoline-leakage-into-new.html |title=Tunnel Cost Up $60,000 |date=March 14, 1936 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327032055/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/03/14/archives/tunnel-cost-up-60000-copper-sheet-to-stop-gasoline-leakage-into-new.html |url-status=live }}</ref> By that October, most of the tube-retrofitting work had been completed, and the Midtown Hudson Tunnel was scheduled to open in fall 1937, several months ahead of schedule. The only major parts of the tunnel that had not been completed were the approaches on either side, but these were progressing quickly as well, as the New York approach plaza was already being excavated.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|73}}<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/10/02/archives/midtown-tube-work-far-past-schedule-37000000-hudson-project-built.html |title=Midtown Tube Work Far Past Schedule |date=October 2, 1936 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327025513/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/10/02/archives/midtown-tube-work-far-past-schedule-37000000-hudson-project-built.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Nearing completion ====
By April 1937, the Midtown Hudson Tunnel was 75% completed, and its opening was projected for the next year.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/04/01/archives/new-hudson-tube-found-75-ready-tuttle-and-inspection-party-reveal.html |title=New Hudson Tube Found 75% Ready |date=April 1, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327084209/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/04/01/archives/new-hudson-tube-found-75-ready-tuttle-and-inspection-party-reveal.html |url-status=live }}</ref> As the tunnel could be confused with the Queens–Midtown Tunnel on the other side of Manhattan, the Port Authority decided to rename the project that month.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|75}}<ref name="The New York Times 1937">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/04/17/archives/39th-st-tube-gets-name-of-lincoln-redesignation-by-port-body-is-due.html |title=39th St. Tube Gets Name of Lincoln |date=April 17, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 24, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324231109/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/04/17/archives/39th-st-tube-gets-name-of-lincoln-redesignation-by-port-body-is-due.html |url-status=live }}</ref> According to Gillespie, the Midtown Hudson Tunnel was renamed after U.S. President [[Abraham Lincoln]] because the Port Authority believed that the tunnel was "parallel to the importance of the George Washington Bridge", which had been named after [[George Washington|the first U.S. President]].<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|75}}<ref name="Exhibit">{{cite web |url=http://www.nj.com/hobokennow/index.ssf/2012/01/hoboken_museum_exhibit_explore.html |title=Hoboken Museum exhibit explores history of Holland, Lincoln tunnels |last=Hortillosa |first=Summer Dawn |date=January 24, 2012 |publisher=NJ.com |access-date=October 4, 2012 |archive-date=October 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020072649/http://www.nj.com/hobokennow/index.ssf/2012/01/hoboken_museum_exhibit_explore.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Several other names had been considered and rejected.<ref name="The New York Times 1937" /> At the same time, the two under-construction approaches on the New York side were named after Port Authority chairmen who had been important figures in the Lincoln Tunnel's construction. Galvin Avenue, which would connect the tunnel north to 42nd Street, was named after John F. Galvin. [[Dyer Avenue]], which would lead south to 34th Street, was named for General George R. Dyer, who had died by that point.<ref name="The New York Times 1937" /> A contract for the Weehawken approach, the first part of a future "express highway"  to the tunnel (now [[New Jersey Route 495]]), was awarded in July 1937.<ref name="The New York Times 1937 3" />

By October of the same year, the Lincoln Tunnel's first tube was very close to completion, and an inspection ceremony was held for New York and New Jersey politicians. The tube's opening was pushed forward several weeks from spring 1938 to late 1937.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|75}}<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/10/16/archives/lincoln-tube-open-for-traffic-dec-22-new-vehicular-tunnel-to-new.html |title=Lincoln Tube Open for Traffic Dec. 22 |date=October 16, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 27, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328051441/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/10/16/archives/lincoln-tube-open-for-traffic-dec-22-new-vehicular-tunnel-to-new.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It was estimated that the construction of the Lincoln Tunnel had directly employed 2,800 workers at its peak, working a combined 6.3 million hours, and that workers across 40 states had worked for a combined 15 million hours to produce materials for the construction effort.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/06/archives/lincoln-tube-funds-benefit-40-states-pwa-says-14950000-manhours-of.html |title=Lincoln Tube Funds Benefit 40 States |date=December 6, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 27, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328051425/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/06/archives/lincoln-tube-funds-benefit-40-states-pwa-says-14950000-manhours-of.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Opening and early years ====
[[File:2018-07-08 10 45 46 View east along New Jersey State Route 495 (Lincoln Tunnel Approach) at the western entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel in Weehawken Township, Hudson County, New Jersey.jpg|alt=|thumb|Entrance of the tunnel from [[Weehawken, New Jersey]]]]
The first tube was formally dedicated on December 21, 1937. The opening ceremony was accompanied by a military parade on the New Jersey side, as well as the detonation of a series of aerial bombs launched from military ships. It was also marked by separate speeches from New York City Mayor La Guardia and the governors of New York and New Jersey.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|76}}<ref name="The New York Times 1937 2">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/22/archives/lincoln-tunnel-is-opened-with-festive-ceremonies-lehman-and-hoffman.html |title=Lincoln Tunnel Is Opened With Festive Ceremonies |date=December 22, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327030508/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/22/archives/lincoln-tunnel-is-opened-with-festive-ceremonies-lehman-and-hoffman.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The first vehicles began passing through the tube at 4:00 AM the next day.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|77}}<ref name="The New York Times 1937 2"/><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2018/New%20York%20NY%20Sun/New%20York%20NY%20Sun%201937/New%20York%20NY%20Sun%201937%20-%206601.pdf |title=Lincoln Tunnel Dedicated at Ceremony Here |date=December 21, 1937 |work=New York Sun |access-date=April 14, 2018 |pages=1, [http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252018%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%25201937%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%25201937%2520-%25206623.pdf 23] |via=Old Fulton New York Postcards}}</ref><ref name="Life 1937">{{cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lT8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA18 |title=Another Vehicular Tunnel Under Hudson River Now Connects New York and New Jersey |date=December 27, 1937 |newspaper=[[Life (magazine)|Life]] |access-date=March 27, 2010 |via=Google Books |page=18}}</ref> The sculptor [[Julio Kilenyi]] created a commemorative medal for the tunnel's opening ceremony, having created similar medals for the opening of the Holland Tunnel and George Washington Bridge.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/11/22/archives/medal-designed-for-new-tunnel-bronze-to-mark-opening-of-tube-to.html |title=Medal Designed for New Tunnel |date=November 22, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327032104/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/11/22/archives/medal-designed-for-new-tunnel-bronze-to-mark-opening-of-tube-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The newly opened tube carried traffic in both directions.<ref name="The New York Times 1937 2" /> Passenger cars traveling in either direction were charged 50 cents for single trips, the same as on the Holland Tunnel, the George Washington Bridge, and the three bridges between [[Staten Island]] and New Jersey.<ref name="Life 1937" /><ref name="The New York Times 1937 5">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/13/archives/lincoln-tube-tolls-fixed-by-authority-charges-to-conform-to-those.html |title=Lincoln Tube Tolls Fixed by Authority |date=December 13, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 27, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427123702/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/13/archives/lincoln-tube-tolls-fixed-by-authority-charges-to-conform-to-those.html |url-status=live }}</ref> If passenger-car drivers were traveling to or from Staten Island within the same trip, they paid 75 cents.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|75}}<ref name="The New York Times 1937 5" /> Different toll rates applied to tractor-trailers, who paid $2, and motorcycles, who paid 25 cents. Pedestrians, animals, and bicyclists were prohibited from using the tunnel.<ref name="The New York Times 1937 5" /> Due to the limited capacity of the new tube, heavy trucks were temporarily banned, and a minimum speed limit of {{Convert|20|mph|kph}} was imposed until a second tube could be completed.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|75}}<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/07/archives/slow-trucks-barred-from-lincoln-tube-heavier-vehicles-also-will-be.html |title=Slow Trucks Barred from Lincoln Tube |date=December 7, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 27, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328051437/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/07/archives/slow-trucks-barred-from-lincoln-tube-heavier-vehicles-also-will-be.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Two gasoline-electric tow trucks, dubbed as the largest of their kind, were delivered to the Lincoln Tunnel in case a vehicle broke down.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/20/archives/lincoln-tunnel-to-get-mighty-wrecking-truck.html |title=Lincoln Tunnel to Get Mighty Wrecking Truck |date=December 20, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 27, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328044336/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/20/archives/lincoln-tunnel-to-get-mighty-wrecking-truck.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Two hundred staff were hired to oversee day-to-day operations of the tunnel, working at an administration building on the New Jersey side. Two telephone systems were also installed within the tunnel, one for communicating with workers in the administration building and the other for contacting emergency services.<ref name=Courier-NewTunnel-1938/>

The tube was used by 3,700 vehicles within the first 12 hours of its opening,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/23/archives/3700-use-tunnel-in-first-12-hours-7000-cars-expected-to-pass.html |title=3,700 Use Tunnel in First 12 Hours |date=December 23, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 27, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328042828/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/23/archives/3700-use-tunnel-in-first-12-hours-7000-cars-expected-to-pass.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and by 7,661 vehicles within the first 24 hours.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|78}}<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/24/archives/7661-cars-use-tunned-total-for-first-24-hours-of-new-lincoln-tube.html |title=7,661 Cars Use Tunnel |date=December 24, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 27, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328102338/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/24/archives/7661-cars-use-tunned-total-for-first-24-hours-of-new-lincoln-tube.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Port Authority devised a slogan to encourage motorists to use the tunnel, advertising it as "the Direct Way to Times Square" and erecting road signs to that effect.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252018%2FLittle%2520Falls%2520NJ%2520Herald%2FLittle%2520Falls%2520NJ%2520Herald%25201938%2520Jan-Dec%25201942%2FLittle%2520Falls%2520NJ%2520Herald%25201938%2520Jan-Dec%25201942%2520-%25200134.pdf |title=Lincoln Tunnel Sloganeers Tell Autoists 'Travel the Direct Way to Times Square' |date=March 31, 1938 |work=Rockaway Wave |access-date=April 14, 2018 |pages=6 |via=Old Fulton New York Postcards}}</ref>

Daily traffic counts decreased with the first month of the tube's opening, since the opening ceremony had coincided with the holiday travel season at the end of December 1937. In any case, the Lincoln Tunnel had carried less than 10,000 daily vehicles during the December holiday season, compared to the Holland Tunnel's 40,000 daily vehicles, since the Holland Tunnel contained two 2-lane tubes.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/01/03/archives/travel-peak-high-as-holidays-end-equal-to-if-not-greater-than-rush.html |title=Travel Peak High as Holidays End |date=1938 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 27, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328104338/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/01/03/archives/travel-peak-high-as-holidays-end-equal-to-if-not-greater-than-rush.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Port Authority marketed the new tunnel with the slogan "Don't Mark Time, Make Time, Use the Lincoln Tunnel", which was selected from a set of 3,500 Port Authority employees' proposals.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/02/24/archives/tunnel-slogan-selected-dont-mark-timemake-time-says-lincoln.html |title=Tunnel Slogan Selected: ' Don't Mark Time-Make Time'—Says Lincoln Prizewinner |date=February 24, 1938 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 28, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328104700/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/02/24/archives/tunnel-slogan-selected-dont-mark-timemake-time-says-lincoln.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Lincoln Tunnel saw 1,790,640 vehicles during its first year of operation, but it was not yet profitable: even after all toll revenues were accounted for, the Port Authority had spent a net $953,857 on operating the tunnel.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/03/14/archives/traffic-increased-by-lincoln-tunnel-six-port-authority-units-to-new.html |title=Traffic Increased by Lincoln Tunnel |date=March 14, 1939 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 28, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329053954/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/03/14/archives/traffic-increased-by-lincoln-tunnel-six-port-authority-units-to-new.html |url-status=live }}</ref> By 1940, the tunnel was carrying 4 million vehicles annually,<ref name="The New York Times 1941">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/04/29/archives/lincoln-tube-work-to-go-ahead-today-operations-to-be-resumed-on.html |title=Lincoln Tube Work to Go Ahead Today |date=April 29, 1941 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 29, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330014810/https://www.nytimes.com/1941/04/29/archives/lincoln-tube-work-to-go-ahead-today-operations-to-be-resumed-on.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and by 1942, that count had increased to 4.5 million.<ref name="The New York Times 1944">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/01/28/archives/north-tube-of-lincoln-tunnel-will-open-in-july-to-ease-heavy-strain.html |title=North Tube of Lincoln Tunnel Will Open in July to Ease Heavy Strain of Traffic |date=January 28, 1944 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 29, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330012840/https://www.nytimes.com/1944/01/28/archives/north-tube-of-lincoln-tunnel-will-open-in-july-to-ease-heavy-strain.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A preliminary 1944 estimate put that year's vehicular count at 5.5 million, due to traffic increases during the war.<ref name="The New York Times 1944 2">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/11/06/archives/new-tube-to-open-in-lincoln-tunnel-capacity-of-underhudson-link.html |title=New Tube to Open in Lincoln Tunnel |date=November 6, 1944 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 29, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330013026/https://www.nytimes.com/1944/11/06/archives/new-tube-to-open-in-lincoln-tunnel-capacity-of-underhudson-link.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

At the time of the tube's opening, six interstate bus companies filed plans to run a combined 250 buses per day through the tunnel.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/16/archives/six-bus-lines-plan-service-by-tunnel-to-make-250-trips-each-way.html |title=Six Bus Lines Plan Service by Tunnel |date=December 16, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 27, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328102442/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/16/archives/six-bus-lines-plan-service-by-tunnel-to-make-250-trips-each-way.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Previously, buses from Weehawken had to drive onto ferries to access Manhattan, but in July 1938, the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] granted the bus companies permission to use the tunnel.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/07/29/archives/tunnel-route-for-buses-lines-allowed-to-use-lincoln-tube-instead-of.html |title=Tunnel Route for Buses |date=July 29, 1938 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 28, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329062712/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/07/29/archives/tunnel-route-for-buses-lines-allowed-to-use-lincoln-tube-instead-of.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Buses paid a toll of $1 per direction.<ref name="Gillespie 2011" />{{Rp|75}} By March 1939, there were 600 buses per day using Lincoln Tunnel, running on twelve routes operated by five companies. That month, three more bus companies were given permission to operate an additional combined total of 600 buses.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/03/19/archives/3-more-bus-lines-get-tube-permits-present-service-of-600-trips.html |title=3 More Bus Lines Get Tube Permits |date=March 19, 1939 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 28, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329053950/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/03/19/archives/3-more-bus-lines-get-tube-permits-present-service-of-600-trips.html |url-status=live }}</ref> After this permission was granted, the New York City government opposed any further authorizations for bus companies, since they would cause congestion in Manhattan streets.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/04/01/archives/city-opposes-rise-in-bus-travel-here-petition-to-icc-protests.html |title=City Opposes Rise in Bus Travel Here |date=April 1, 1939 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 28, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329062726/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/04/01/archives/city-opposes-rise-in-bus-travel-here-petition-to-icc-protests.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In December 1940, it was announced that a new bus terminal would be built on the Manhattan side of the Lincoln Tunnel, between Eighth Avenue, 41st Street, Ninth Avenue, and 42nd Street.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/12/08/archives/huge-bus-terminal-to-rise-on-42d-st-at-4000000-cost-bus-terminal.html |title=Huge Bus Terminal to Rise on 42d St. at $4,000,000 Cost |date=December 8, 1940 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 29, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329144206/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/12/08/archives/huge-bus-terminal-to-rise-on-42d-st-at-4000000-cost-bus-terminal.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Manhattan Borough President [[Stanley M. Isaacs]] proposed building a short tunnel between the Lincoln Tunnel and the new terminal.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/12/17/archives/isaacs-opens-fight-for-city-bus-tube-he-heads-group-asking-for.html |title=Isaacs Opens Fight for City Bus Tube |date=December 17, 1940 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 29, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329135554/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/12/17/archives/isaacs-opens-fight-for-city-bus-tube-he-heads-group-asking-for.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The city approved the construction of the new terminal and connecting tunnel in January 1941. Plans for a bus terminal were delayed because of [[World War II]], which used the resources intended for most projects that were not directly involved in the war effort.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/01/24/archives/city-enters-deal-for-bus-terminal-will-build-link-to-lincoln-tunnel.html |title=City Enters Deal for Bus Terminal |date=1941 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 29, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329124211/https://www.nytimes.com/1941/01/24/archives/city-enters-deal-for-bus-terminal-will-build-link-to-lincoln-tunnel.html |url-status=live }}</ref>