Battery Park Underpass

This article is about the tunnel under the Battery connecting FDR Drive and the West Side Highway in Manhattan. For the tunnel under the East River connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn, see Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.

The Battery Park Underpass is a vehicular tunnel at the southernmost tip of Manhattan, New York City, near the neighborhoods of South Ferry and Battery Park City. The tunnel connects FDR Drive, which runs along the east side of Manhattan Island, with the West Side Highway (New York State Route 9A, or NY 9A), which runs along the island's west side. Opened in 1951, it was the second section of FDR Drive to be completed. The underpass crosses beneath the Battery (formerly Battery Park) and the approach to the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel.

Battery Park Underpass

Western portal at West Street
Overview
Location	Battery Park, Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates	40°42′09″N 74°00′58″W
Route	FDR Drive
Start	FDR Drive / South Street in Financial District
End	NY 9A / West Side Highway in Battery Park City
Operation
Constructed	1949–1951
Opened	April 10, 1951 (1951-04-10)[1]
Closed	October 29, 2012[2]
Reopened	November 13, 2012[3]
Traffic	Automotive
Technical
No. of lanes	4
Operating speed	30–40 miles per hour (48–64 km/h)
Tunnel clearance	12 feet 7 inches (3.84 m)

History

Eastern portal at the FDR Drive in front of the Battery Maritime Building

The underpass started construction in 1949^[4] and opened to the public on April 10, 1951.^[1] The underpass runs underneath the Battery, connecting the West Side Highway to the South Street Viaduct with two lanes of traffic in each direction.^[1] The project was completed shortly after the opening of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel in 1950, and provides direct access between the West Side Highway and FDR Drive.^[5]

In 2005, during the reconstruction of NY 9A, the western end of the Battery Park Underpass was extended to the north by about 25 feet (7.6 m) to provide a U-turn lane and amenities for pedestrians and bicyclists.^[6]

During Hurricane Sandy, the tunnel was filled with seawater and required major repairs.^[7]

Plans for extension

There have been three proposals to extend the tunnel north on the FDR Drive side.

• In 1971, it was suggested that the South Street Viaduct be turned into a tunnel, essentially extending the underpass north to the Brooklyn Bridge
• In 2002, the Downtown Alliance, the local business improvement district, called for a 350-foot (105 m) extension to the underpass to create a plaza in front of the Battery Maritime Building. The estimated cost was $70 million.^[8]
• In 2005, Mayor Michael Bloomberg also called for an extension of the underpass near the Battery Maritime Building as part of a plan to rehabilitate the South Street Viaduct.^[9]