NYC Discount Car Rentals and The Queens Midtown Tunnel

Opened in 1940 by the New York City Tunnel Authority, the Queens Midtown Tunnel was one of the largest public works projects of the era. Designed to help relieve heavy vehicle congestion along the city’s East River bridges, the Queens Midtown Tunnel now serves as a major connection between the busy residential streets of midtown Manhattan and the Hunters Point district of Long Island City in Queens. All Car Rent-A-Car NYC Discount Car Rentals encourages you to visit this New York City icon during your upcoming area visit.

Interesting Facts about the Queens Midtown Tunnel

Construction began on the Queens Midtown Tunnel October 2nd, 1936 and was complete just over 4 years later on November 15th, 1940
The Queens Midtown Tunnel is located beneath 86 feet of river water
Over 13,900 tons of structural steel was used to frame the tunnel along with 65,900 tons of cast iron lining
The Queens Midtown Tunnel cost some $52,758,000 when it was built back in the 1930’s
President Roosevelt was the first person to drive through the tunnel on opening day
Today the Queens Midtown Tunnel carries approximately 80,000 vehicles per day (including plenty of NYC discount car rentals!)

Finding the Queens Midtown Tunnel

The Queens Manhattan Tunnel consists of two tubes and four lanes of traffic, connecting the neighborhoods of Murray Hill in Manhattan and Hunters Point in Queens. The Manhattan entrance of the tunnel is often easy to miss when driving by in your NYC discount car rental as it is camouflaged by what appears to be a small park consisting of trees and fences. The only real clues of the tunnels whereabouts are the tops of the portals and the destination road signs. Although the Official FHWA route log insists that the Queens Midtown Tunnel is a part of NY 495, all reference markers on the actual roadway read Interstate 495, so be sure to keep that in mind when approaching the tunnel in your NYC discount car rental. The Queens side of the tunnel serves as the westbound terminus of the Long Island Expressway, located in amongst storage lots, apartment complexes and a few waterfront warehouses.

A Brief History on the Makings of the Queens Midtown Tunnel

The chief engineer and designer in charge of the Queens Midtown Tunnel was Ole Singstad. Ole’s experience as the head designer on the Holland Tunnel helped prepare him for the difficult conditions under the East River, which included patches of solid bedrock and silt debris. Singstad refined many of his earlier tunneling techniques in order to accommodate the needs of the time period, creating wider tubes and state-of-the-art ventilation buildings. The building of the Queens Midtown Tunnel set a new standard for speed and safety in the tunneling world, as workers completed the tunnel hole-through months ahead of schedule. The Queens Midtown tunnel was also the second major tunnel project able to claim that no workers were killed during the tunnel process, a remarkable feat for that day and age.

Reconstructing the Tunnel

Fifty-eight years after the tunnels opening day, the MTA Bridges and Tunnels Authority began a six year rehabilitation of the Queens Midtown Tunnel. Work was to be completed in two stages which include building a brand new roof for the tunnel along with new pumps and exhaust fans. The rehabilitation program cost approximately $132 million and was completed just a few years ago.

If you’re planning on reserving an NYC discount car rental from All Car Rent-A-Car, be sure to check out this wonderful tunnel facility along the shores of the East River. In order to drive your NYC discount car rental through the tunnel it will cost you a small fee of $3.50 each way, so don’t forget to pack a little extra change.