The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) will be evaluating the durability of flood doors inside the Hugh L. Carey and Queens Midtown tunnels in order to see how protective they would be as a last defense in the case of a tumultuous coastal storm.
Each of these doors weighs 20-plus tons, is 29-feet wide, 14-feet high and nearly two-feet thick. In the event of a potential hurricane or tropical storm, these doors would provide the “last line of defense, preventing water from infiltrating tunnels and causing extensive damage as was seen during Superstorm Sandy in 2012,” the agency said on its website.
Eight of these doors were installed in 2017 as part of the MTA’s long-term flood mitigation program, a $7.6 million initiative facilitated to repair the damage caused by Sandy and strengthen the tunnel system for future storms. According to the agency’s Climate Resilience Roadmap, the probability of severe coastal flooding is expected to triple by the 2050s. Environmental experts have also cautioned that warming temperatures in the city will continue to affect key transportation infrastructure such as tunnels, bridges, etc.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels and MTA Construction and Development teams performed overnight flood door tests in both of the tunnels over the weekend, the first set in a series of assessments to measure these doors’ ability to prevent the overflow of water.
The agency will carry out the remaining tests until August 4, during which one tube of the tunnel will be closed, while one lane will be open in each direction in the remaining tube. Future testing will take place on the following dates:
Hugh L. Carey Tunnel
• Monday, July 22 at 9:00 p.m. through Tuesday, July 23 at 5:00 a.m.
• Tuesday, July 23 at 9:00 p.m. through Wednesday, July 24 at 5:00 a.m.
• Wednesday, July 24 at 9:00 p.m. through Thursday, July 25 at 5:00 a.m.
Queens Midtown Tunnel
• Saturday, July 27 at 12:01 a.m. through 8:00 a.m.
• Sunday, July 28 at 1:00 a.m. through 9:00 a.m.
• Saturday, August 3 at 12:01 a.m. through 8:00 a.m.
• Sunday, August 4 at 1:00 a.m. through 9:00 a.m.
For real time updates on service changes, motorists can visit mta.info. Customers can sign up for real-time email and SMS alerts from MTA Bridges and Tunnel here.
