Lincoln Tunnel Expressway
| Company type | Roadway |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | Midtown Manhattan, New York City |
| Owner | Port Authority of New York and New Jersey |
The Lincoln Tunnel Expressway is a predominantly four-lane, eight-block north–south route that links the Lincoln Tunnel entrances to West 31st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Managed and owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, this roadway functions as the Manhattan gateway to the Lincoln Tunnel, connecting the neighborhoods of Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea between Ninth and Tenth avenues. Its corresponding access point from New Jersey is the Lincoln Tunnel Helix (New Jersey Route 495).
Route description
Spanning eight blocks between Ninth and Tenth avenues, the expressway extends from West 31st Street northward to the Lincoln Tunnel entrance leading into New Jersey. At its southern end on West 31st Street, a six-lane divided roadway accommodates local eastbound traffic as well as directional flows merging onto the expressway from nearby avenues.
Heading north, the route continues as Dyer Avenue, a four-lane divided street for one block before it descends below ground beneath the Manhattan West complex and adjacent streets. It passes under 33rd Street where entry and exit ramps facilitate access to and from the tunnel, integrating with ongoing highway traffic. The expressway proceeds beneath local streets for three additional blocks; here, ramps at 36th Street serve southbound vehicles, while northbound ramps integrate traffic from both Dyer Avenue and Ninth Avenue.
At 37th Street, the expressway bends westward, with the northbound lanes dividing into two separate ramps: one leads to the bidirectional center tube, while the other connects to a short tunnel that exclusively serves the westbound northern tube. This design offers operational flexibility for the center tube’s direction but may limit southbound entry when configured for westbound travel.
Continuing westward, the road passes beneath a ramp heading toward northbound Dyer Avenue, which separates from both the eastbound southern tube and center tube lanes. Additionally, a ramp from the Port Authority Bus Terminal merges with westbound expressway traffic before the route directly links to the western tube just east of Tenth Avenue.
Necessity
In 1934, structures were razed to establish a 75-foot-wide right-of-way for Dyer Avenue, an arterial road designed to provide access to the then-in-progress Lincoln Tunnel. This avenue was named in honor of General George Rathborne Dyer, chairman of the Port Authority who passed away during construction. The tunnel’s initial (center) tube commenced operations in December 1937. A second tube followed in 1945; however, their combined capacity of 15 million vehicles annually was strained by demand reaching 11 million by 1949.
By March 1951, preliminary approval was granted by the Port Authority for a third Lincoln Tunnel tube positioned south of the existing pair. The project encompassed extending Dyer Avenue southward from 34th to 31st Street and upgrading approach roads within Manhattan and Hudson County, New Jersey, as detailed in a collaborative study with the Triborough Bridge Authority. The third tube was completed in May 1957 at an expenditure of $85 million.
Construction
The Lincoln Tunnel Expressway was developed during the planning phase of the tunnel's third tube to address New York City's concerns about managing the anticipated rise in traffic volume. After a negotiation period lasting fifteen months, the city and the Port Authority reached a consensus in June 1952. The Port Authority agreed to expand 30th Street between 10th and 12th Avenues and to build ramps linking the tunnel with the West Side Highway, including the expressway segment connecting 31st Street to the tunnel entrance at 38th Street.
The expressway officially opened on February 19, 1957, shortly before the third tube became operational, with a total expenditure of $11 million. The New York Times praised it as a "triumph of engineering skill," emphasizing intricate construction feats such as constructing a bridge beneath an existing one, twin tunnels, five viaducts, and an extensive ramp system. The design also incorporated connections to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. To assist drivers, informational pamphlets were distributed at the time of opening.
Mid-Manhattan Expressway and I-495 designation
The Lincoln Tunnel Expressway carries the unsigned designation NY 495. It was originally intended to be part of the unconstructed Mid-Manhattan Expressway, a crosstown route planned to connect to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, now incorporated into Interstate 495, and was slated to bear the I-495 designation. In anticipation of completing the Mid-Manhattan Expressway, the I-495 number was assigned in 1958 to the New Jersey approach. However, after the crosstown expressway project was canceled and removed from I-495 on January 1, 1970, the New Jersey segment was redesignated as New Jersey Route 495 in 1979. The I-495 label was officially removed from the Lincoln Tunnel in 1989.
Open space and air rights
The vicinity surrounding the Lincoln Tunnel Expressway-Dyer Avenue corridor has undergone rezoning for commercial and residential development under initiatives like the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project and the 7 Subway Extension. The master plan issued by the New York City Department of City Planning in 2003 envisions a series of open spaces between Ninth and Tenth Avenues, aiming to establish a park network stretching from West 39th to West 34th Street.
As of 2014, approximately in Midtown West—mainly between 31st and 41st streets and from 9th to 10th avenues—was owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), primarily allocated for transportation purposes. Beyond road infrastructure, PANYNJ holds adjacent parcels along this right-of-way and is actively divesting properties acquired during initial construction or for the canceled ARC Tunnel. Revenues from these sales are directed toward redeveloping the Port Authority Bus Terminal and other infrastructure enhancements.
In 2011, city authorities approved plans for two 18-story buildings on Ninth Avenue between 37th and 38th streets. By April 2012, developer Larry Silverstein, holding a memorandum of understanding regarding property at 39th Street, proposed constructing a bus garage topped by a residential tower. Given limited parcel dimensions, bus ramps would require elevator systems—a pioneering approach for bus storage facilities. In September 2014, Extell Development Company acquired air rights for $30 million over a parcel between 36th and 37th streets, enabling potential platform or cantilever construction above the highway.
Although PANYNJ authorized selling parcels at 30th Street to McDermont Company for a proposed 500,000-square-foot residential tower, those plans were eventually abandoned and the property returned to market availability.