Repairs Planned For Road Leading To Lincoln Tunnel
WEEHAWKEN, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Motorists who use the Lincoln Tunnel during the overnight hours should start thinking of an alternate route.
The Port Authority plans to repair the helix beginning in August.
"This is a project that will repair the Lincoln Tunnel helix which is more than 70-years-old," Bill Baroni, Executive Director of the Port Authority, told 1010 WINS. "Its columns, its beams, its pavement -- over those seven decades its taken its toll."
The eastbound lanes will be closed from 10:30 p.m. until 5 a.m. on weekdays.
The $88 million project calls for repaving the road, rehabilitating the concrete deck and fixing the deteriorating steel that underpins the elevated roadway.
"The Port Authority is returning to its core mission of transportation infrastructure," Baroni said.
Lincoln Tunnel general manager Steve Napolitano tells The Record newspaper rush-hour passengers can follow their normal routes.
The tunnel will remain open and accessible during the overnight work. However, motorists will need to use local roads to enter the tube.
Baroni said the project is necessary and will create hundreds of construction jobs.
An estimated 92 million people pass into New York City through the tunnel each year, mostly in commuter buses.
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