Hurricane Sandy is a distant memory for most students here at Stevens. Because the storm was so long ago, it was surprising when it was announced that on February 5, for two years, the Holland Tunnel is to be closed six nights a week to conduct repairs and renovations to fix the damage done by the storm and update the existing infrastructure as well. When Hurricane Sandy hit, temporary repairs were made, but the tunnel never received long-term restorations.
Hurricane Sandy struck the New York City area on October 29, 2012. For the following 48 hours, the region was battered by severe wind, rain, and flooding. The state of New York reports about $19 billion of damages occurred. During the storm, nearly 30 million gallons of water from the rain and storm surges flooded the Holland Tunnel. Saltwater, sewage, and debris caused severe structural damage to the tunnel’s infrastructure. The initial temporary repairs made the tunnel functional, yet it was always evident that major renovations would be required.
The Holland Tunnel Sandy Repairs and Resiliency Improvements project, currently planned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the governing body of the Holland Tunnel, will encompass structural, electric, and other systems and cost upwards of $364 million. About 84% of the funding comes from federal aid and grants like the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery, a $4.2 billion grant given to New York to recover from the impacts of Sandy.
The tunnel will be closed for six nights per week. Sunday through Thursday, the tunnel will be closed from 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Friday night into Saturday morning, the closure period will be 11:59 p.m. until 9 a.m. The tunnel will, however, remain open on Saturday nights. This will continue until the end of 2025. However, there is a possibility that variances in the project could impact the scheduled resumption of normal operations.
Despite the closures, many other ways exist to cross the Hudson River. Pedestrian passengers can still use NJ Transit trains and PATH trains as usual. The NJ Transit bus system will continue running but will experience some issues from the tunnel closures. The George Washington Bridge and the Lincoln Tunnel will remain open for drivers. However, both of these options experience delays during the overnight hours due to construction and maintenance, in addition to the extra volume due to the closure of the Holland Tunnel. Another way to get into the city for drivers is to park close to a PATH or NJ Transit station and take mass transit the rest of the way. For example, Journal Square, with a double-decker parking garage, access to the PATH and bus system, and easy access to the Pulaski Skyway via the Tonnelle Avenue or Routes 1 and 9 to get to I-78 or the Garden State Parkway are possibly the best options for those from farther than the immediate New Jersey-New York border.
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