Lincoln Tunnel & Midtown Tunnel Approaches
The Maven
Lincoln Tunnel:
I've read the following on the Port Authority website:
Entrances closed: Weekdays, 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. @ W. 39th St btw 10th
and 11th avenues; W. 33rd Street between 9th and 10th avenues.
Can anyone confirm if the W. 39th St. approach is closed only during
the above time? In the past I would attempt to use the W. 39th St.
approach on weekends and it would be closed.
Midtown Tunnel:
For some time I've thought of using the Tunnel Entrance St. from E.
40th St - E. 37th St. on the north side of the tunnel. Yet I cannot
recall a time when this approach road seems to be open. I always see
a detour to 2nd Avenue. The MTA website does not offer any details.
Does anyone know if this approach is ever open?
Thanks.
Nathan Perry
<6dc90d6f-34eb-45c3...@q17g2000vby.googlegroups.com>,
The Maven <rhcr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi-
>
> Lincoln Tunnel:
> I've read the following on the Port Authority website:
> Entrances closed: Weekdays, 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. @ W. 39th St btw 10th
> and 11th avenues; W. 33rd Street between 9th and 10th avenues.
>
> Can anyone confirm if the W. 39th St. approach is closed only during
> the above time? In the past I would attempt to use the W. 39th St.
> approach on weekends and it would be closed.
That seems odd; you'd think those would be the hours when it was open,
for peak outbound traffic. Is it really that critical to retain the
*exit* to W 39th Street? Though I can see the entrance there being more
of a choke point than a reliever.
>
>
> Midtown Tunnel:
> For some time I've thought of using the Tunnel Entrance St. from E.
> 40th St - E. 37th St. on the north side of the tunnel. Yet I cannot
> recall a time when this approach road seems to be open. I always see
> a detour to 2nd Avenue. The MTA website does not offer any details.
> Does anyone know if this approach is ever open?
It was open both times Google Street View went by. Other than that, I
have no personal experience to offer. Real helpful, I know...
Jimmy
> In article
> <6dc90d6f-34eb-45c3-9ff5-a413bb4a4...@q17g2000vby.googlegroups.com>,
> The Maven <rhcran...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi-
>
> > Lincoln Tunnel:
> > I've read the following on the Port Authority website:
> > Entrances closed: Weekdays, 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. @ W. 39th St btw 10th
> > and 11th avenues; W. 33rd Street between 9th and 10th avenues.
>
> > Can anyone confirm if the W. 39th St. approach is closed only during
> > the above time? In the past I would attempt to use the W. 39th St.
> > approach on weekends and it would be closed.
>
> That seems odd; you'd think those would be the hours when it was open,
> for peak outbound traffic.
I think they did it so drivers will have to wait in the main queue,
instead of skipping it by using that entrance.
> > Midtown Tunnel:
> > For some time I've thought of using the Tunnel Entrance St. from E.
> > 40th St - E. 37th St. on the north side of the tunnel. Yet I cannot
> > recall a time when this approach road seems to be open. I always see
> > a detour to 2nd Avenue. The MTA website does not offer any details.
> > Does anyone know if this approach is ever open?
I've used the tunnel dozens of times, and I never noticed that
entrance street.
Who would it be useful for? Traffic on 2nd Avenue would use the 2nd
Avenue entrance, and most traffic on First Avenue would use 34th or
35th Street to the southern (northbound) section of Tunnel Entrance
Street.
Was it more useful before the avenues were converted to one-way
traffic? (And when did that happen, anyway? 8th and part of 7th
became one way in 1954, parts of 6th and Broadway in 1957, and 5th and
Madison in 1966, but I can't find anything about 1st and 2nd.)
When did they make the northern Tunnel Entrance Street two-way, to
allow northbound traffic from 37th to 39th, and from the tunnel when
the southern tube has two-way traffic? Was it part of the Thru
Streets project in 2002?
Jimmy