This 20-ton door is the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel's last line of defense against floods, MTA says

Two New York City tunnels connecting to Manhattan will be partially closed overnight on select dates throughout the summer while the MTA tests massive flood doors in the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel and Queens Midtown Tunnel as part of hurricane and tropical storm preparation.

The eight doors are each 29 feet wide, 14 feet high and almost 2 feet thick and weigh more than 20 tons, the MTA said. Installed in 2017 as part of the agency’s flood mitigation program, the doors were designed to stop water from getting into the tunnels and causing extensive damage like what happened in 2012 after Superstorm Sandy.

The MTA partially closed the Hugh. L Carey Tunnel on Saturday to test the storm doors. Pictures provided by the MTA showed a team of workers working together to hinge the massive door closed.

The doors are part of a systemwide $7.6 billion program to repair the damage caused by Sandy and to fortify the system for future storms. The probability of severe coastal flooding is expected to triple by the 2050s, according to the agency’s Climate Resilience Roadmap.

Experts have said that warming temperatures will continue to affect key transportation infrastructure throughout the city.

According to the MTA, the doors can only be moved when the tunnel tube behind it is closed to traffic, or else drivers may become stuck inside. The agency said plans to conduct the remaining tests on the following days, during which one tube of the tunnel will be closed, while one lane will be open in each direction in the remaining tube.

Hugh L. Carey Tunnel

Queens Midtown Tunnel