Here’s a surviving 1940-era street sign on Tunnel Exit Street, an exit from the Queens Midtown Tunnel in Murray Hill. photo: Steve Garza
The tunnel was designed by Ole Singstad, and it was opened to traffic in 1940 under the supervision of New York City Tunnel Authority to relieve traffic congestion on the city’s East River bridges. It was among of the largest public works projects of the New Deal era, and represented the most advanced tunnel engineering techniques of its day. In 1946, the tunnel became a Triborough facility when the New York City Tunnel Authority and the Triborough Bridge Authority were consolidated to form the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority. Singstad’s experience as chief engineer of the Holland Tunnel enabled him to meet the challenge of excavating the rocky, unusually difficult conditions under the East River. It consists of twin tubes carrying an aggregate of four traffic lanes, and is 1,955 m (6,414 ft) long. US President Franklin Roosevelt was the first person driven through the completed tubes as well. The Midtown Tunnel has responded to Presidential involvement in its welfare by providing a high-capacity, all-weather and most reliable link between Manhattan and Queens for over 6 decades. Long Island Exchange