New York City Water Tunnel No. 3

City Tunnel No. 3 is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the United States.  It was begin in 1970 and is nearing completion.  Completion of the tunnel will allow maintenance work to be done on Tunnels 1 and 2, which have been in continuous operation since their completion early in the 20th century.  The new tunnel begins at Hillview Reservoir in Westchester, then travels south through the Bronx.  Valve chambers allow portions to be shut down and to redirect water flow.  The largest valve chamber is located underneath Van Cortlandt Park.  There are other valve chambers underneath Central Park and Roosevelt Island.  The Tunnel splits in midtown, one leg going east to Queens and then Brooklyn, another south on the West Side of Manhattan.  There are shafts to allow for access every few miles, and each shaft has a distinctive ventilation tower.  Photographs of the shafts can be seen in a previous blog entry.

Shaft 2b, City Tunnel No. 3, Bronx, New York

Shaft 2b, City Tunnel No. 3, Bronx, New York

Shaft 13b, City Tunnel No. 3, New York, New York

City Tunnel Nol 3, Queens, New York

City Tunnel No. 3, Brooklyn, New York

New York City Water Tunnel No. 3 Ventilation Towers

City Tunnel No. 3 has been under construction since 1970 (for more information see my other post about the tunnel).  Each shaft has a ventilation tower.  Originally, the sidewalk entry door for each shaft, (some as deep as 1000 feet), was labelled with the shaft number.  These were removed after 9/11/01.  But they can still located by their distinctive ventilation towers.  The towers are not identical, but have a consistent style.  Once you've seen these you should be able to recognize others.

Shaft 14b, New York

Shaft 19b, Brooklyn

Shaft 16b, Queens

Shaft 23b, Brooklyn

Shaft 11b, New York

Shaft 20b, Brooklyn