The Tunnel That's Failing New York City

This might be New York’s most important tunnel, and it’s crumbling. See how tools like Autodesk Build are streamlining infrastructure projects like this - bit.ly/3NUwlEX
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Special thanks to Stephen Sigmund. Additional footage and images courtesy of GDC/Amtrak, Former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, National Museum of American History, Archives Center, B.H.M. Hewett, W.L. Brown, Internet Archive Book Images, MTA and Joe Biden.
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[@julianmx13]

Love being mindblown by B1M videos. Keep up the great work!

[@blagoevski336]

Same

[@assassinscreed8597]

Me too, such in-depth information and presented to us amazingly

[@jesusislord6545]

Repent to Jesus Christ! “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬ J

[@johnstrawb3521]

@Julian _ @The B1M Fine, just be aware of the sensationalism B1M indulges in. Take their "between 2014 and 2018, major failures caused 65,000 minutes of train delays' at 0:29. First, they mean "from 2014 through 2018." Next, those five years are comprised of 2,628,000 minutes, making the 65,000 minutes cited all of 2.47% of all 'train minutes.' Almost nothing, in short. This is extremely representative of B1M's reporting, unfortunately. It's always suggestive that, when someone exaggerates, they don't really believe all that much in what they're asserting.

[@Ferocious_Imbecile]

yep not to mention the beautiful videography that is rarely found anywhere else.

[@asdfjklol]

You have it backwards - New York City is failing the tunnel, not the other way around. The tunnel has done its job for over 100 years.

[@carlosandleon]

that's absolute nonsense. The tunnel serves the city, not the other way around. If it can't do its job it's the tunnel's failure.

[@syd6894]

@@carlosandleon surely you can't expect a century old tunnel to perform flawlessly. The city is responsible for the upkeep of the tunnel and if the tunnel is failing then the city isn't doing its job properly

[@carlosandleon]

@@syd6894 You can't really increase diameter though

[@syd6894]

@@carlosandleon I'm not talking about increasing diameter, I'm just saying that with proper maintenance it's possible for the tunnel to be much more reliable

[@pebos1234567890]

This is an inanimate object this conversation is just pointless semantics

[@tobiwan001]

Hard to believe there is no political will for a project that seems so obviously necessary.

[@mfaizsyahmi]

nobody wants to foot the bill

[@RandomUser2401]

it's insane. compared to the Gotthard/Brenner Tunnels this is a relatively easy project and has a vastly greater economical impact. And as we all know, money is really the only thing that matters in the great United Capitalistic States of America. The opposition to rail in the US is insanely strong, even in cases that are so clear like this one.

[@kirkrotger9208]

There's a ton of political will here in NYC, just not from the feds.

[@hkr667]

No project gets proper backing if the best case delivery date is after reelections. If the sitting term for government is 4 years and a project takes 6? Forget it.

[@alliejr]

Yup. 🤦🏽‍♂️ #dumbassery

[@allykatt1849]

Born and raised in my beloved Bronx, I can assure you, not only are the tunnels lacking maintenance, the much older buildings, highways, and inner boroughs streets with massive potholes are lacking maintenance as well. This is not new, it's a problem that's been constantly swept under the rug and/or bandaged for years.

[@flexiblebirdchannel]

You are so proud as americans that you are not paying as many taxes as other countries, so yo can not complain on bad maintenance.

[@dragonflydreamer7658]

China just built 50 subways while you were watching this vid lol. This is the future NY has planed for you... THREADS

[@ChrisB10]

​​@@flexiblebirdchannelshut up.. We pay high taxes in NY. The government blows the money on stupid shit

[@Stonecutter334]

Thank god we waste millions on the city council members. What a waste of time and money. So they can rubber stamp every money making non “tax” scheme the city comes up with like traffic cameras and insane water bills.

[@vdoggydogg3922]

@dragonflydreamer7658 never use China as am example..would rather be behind on maintenance than live in a communist country

[@wolfgangloll2747]

Building a tunnel under a river, which was already done 110 years ago, doesn't seem like an impossible task to me. It seems that it was simply not perceived as very important.

[@justindwyer3832]

We actually just got the infrastructure bill passed and I will make tons of union money redoing this tunnel 🤑

[@pudanielson1]

@@justindwyer3832 As you should. Unions of the world United

[@JugSouthgate]

It doesn't seem difficult to you because you don't understand what is involved.

[@justindwyer3832]

@@pudanielson1 hell yeah brother

[@wolfgangloll2747]

@@JugSouthgate oh, i did an engineering degree, so i can say with certainty that i don't know what's all involved. But since I come from Berlin, I also know what is needed to run a Projeckt completely into the ground. (* BER) on the other hand, there are people who have built a tunnel before, and if you hire the best of them, you have a chance of success. the rest is political will.

[@lifevest1]

"This was built 110 years ago and is at risk of failing any day." - American infrastructure in a nutshell. It's like that scene in Ghostbusters 2 where one of them knocks down a random electrical pipe and all of Manhattan loses power.

[@Student0Toucher]

Everything in California is pretty new and up to date

[@jasonwebb5964]

@@Student0Toucher that's because earthquakes destroyed the old infrastructure.

[@MagicalBread]

@@Student0Toucher Not really. We have yet to have a high speed rail system, something which we should’ve had 30 years ago.

[@qjtvaddict]

@@MagicalBread failure countries can’t do that

[@eriktenhag2022]

@@qjtvaddict America is not a failed country

[@delhelicopters]

There should be triple the amount of tunnels running underneath the Hudson as there are right now. Hard to believe these projects still haven’t even be started.

[@matthew8153]

Politicians are too worried about fake gender pronouns and increasing welfare for votes.

[@thecasualfly]

Yeah that would be logical thing to do since ya know NYC is one of the biggest economical hubs in the USA... But nah

[@paulradice3534]

Cause your elected officials don’t give a ship about it.

[@evilferris]

Joseph Bazalgette, the guy that built London’s sewer system in the 1860s thought ahead to population growth and said, “We’re only going to do this once and there’s always the unforeseen.” He doubled the size of the sewer pipes and the same system is in use today.

[@thecasualfly]

Wish more people had this foresight ..my community needs the highway on the east side of the Columbia river expanded to 4 lanes and a turn lane but they put it off for decades and it just keeps getting more expensive ..it's finally happening but yeah everything grows and needs to expand

[@NoTraceOfSense]

⁠@@thecasualflyAdding more lanes doesn’t work ffs

[@user-mm1nt1it5v]

@@NoTraceOfSenseexactly.

[@Thebreakdownshow1]

The busyness of New York makes everything 100 times more challenging. Then the added complexity of replacing old infrastructure. I am planning a documentary on the subway system of New York. It’s almost like a living being.

[@TheB1M]

Absolutely. It's construction, but in the city that never sleeps.

[@Thebreakdownshow1]

@@TheB1M by the way you guys makes so great content over the years I have learned so many little things about film Laing and story telling that apply to my own channel everyday keep up the good work.

[@RandomUser2401]

@@TheB1M that applies to many other cities as well. And NYC at 3am is pretty dead, still...

[@smartrubberchicken]

If politicians would stay out of way we would already have it done.

[@RajSachdeva]

Agree. just look at Project to replace the flyovers on Van Wyck highway around Queens Blvd has taken more than 10 years and hopefully, it is completed in the next 6 months.

[@Markenny2001]

I used to live in NJ and commuted to NY and the delays of getting into the city between amtrak and nj transit made me move into the city. Then the pandemic hit and i started working remotely. So my commute became nothing. The politics, and ownership of the lines and contracts is infuriating. To know youre sitting on the track for 45min because of petty bueracracy and politics makes it that much worse. This project is so long over due as youve stated. Love it.

[@nuggets0717]

good for you! i sometimes come in thru that tunnel on Amtrak when coming into Penn and we always got stuck at the mouth of it waiting for trains to come and go. it's spooky seeing the inside with how old it is. I'm hoping the infrastructure around the subway and trains improves.

[@richard09able]

The GOP blocked the bills for funding in the Senate, when it fails and people die all of a sudden it will be a newsworthy priority…

[@dcny69]

Millennials complaining about a mere 45 minute delay. When we were little we walked to school 14 miles away in the snow.

[@ellenmaes2480]

Going by bike?

[@bruhbutwhytho2301]

​@@dcny69boomers thinking that anyone cares how long they walked to school

[@edwardeverett5627]

After visiting America a few years ago all I saw was crumbling infrastructure in the cities visited, it's important to look after it all, otherwise when one bit fails the knock on effect happens like dominos...

[@mudman6156]

Republicans are more interested in getting themselves big tax cuts at the expense of EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING ELSE.

[@tommyg9719]

americas infrastructure has been rough for a while now.

[@MM-qp4pd]

It's ok. The politicians made sure you're all vaccinated and boosted every week. Infrastructure not necessary.

[@codiefitz3876]

I took an Amtrak from Rensselaer to Penn Station back in 2015. I was amazed at how utterly decayed the rail infrastructure is

[@MM-qp4pd]

It's ok. The politicians made sure you're all vaccinated and boosted every week. Infrastructure not necessary.

[@Skybar23]

Remarkable that they actually built tunnels under the sea in 1900. I always thought that was something only done in the past 50 years.

[@bazis98]

The Tranacontinental Railroad went straight through mountains!

[@Steve_McMillen]

It's crazy to think with all the advanced boring technology we have now compared to then, we can't even build a bunch of new tunnels!

[@Skybar23]

@@Steve_McMillen yep and you would think new advances on boring technology would bring down the cost of building tunnels....obviously not

[@spaceman081447]

@EJ Ioane RE: "Remarkable that they actually built tunnels under the sea in 1900. I always thought that was something only done in the past 50 years." Well, things were simpler back then. There were no unions. There were no environmental impact statements required. There were no health & safety requirements. There was no minimum wage. And, most important, the politicians got their payoffs early in the process, in the form of cash-stuffed envelopes.

[@mikeblatzheim2797]

Even more impressively, the first plans for what is now the Eurotunnel were created in the 1880s, and construction was actually started (but stopped due to mainly the British fearing an invasion through the tunnel). And given that they only had steam trains back then, the plans featured several venting towers in the middle of the Channel. No idea if they could have actually pulled it off, but the engineers back then did seem confident enough to attempt such a tunnel.

[@campbellsadeghy213]

I’d say we are failing the tunnel TBH. It’s unreal how bad it’s gotten and if it fails the political leaders should be held accountable.

[@marquamfurniture]

Everyone is just sitting on their ass, waiting for New York's next 9/11 (this time under the Hudson river) and catastrophic loss of life..... then they'll get serious.

[@billolsen4360]

The dumb voters keep putting them back in office

[@MrSkarbek36]

They won’t

[@efimovv]

Sad thing is that this is must not be political or business decision, this is engineer's area. But looks like common sense lost and politicians with business try to talk with concrete and say what walls must stand longer as it hard to replace tunnel. I bet, concrete will not listen.

[@annabananaSplitz1]

it's amazing how they didnt think to do anything about it or do any updates during the lockdown. it wouldve been a perfect time to make improvements

[@yousufmazher104]

The content from this channel never fails to surprise. Hats off!

[@allaware5014]

When you think that back then, people were literally dying to build this tunnel and it had not 5% the importance it does today.

[@pathtobillions8070]

We need to invest and improve the entire mass transit network in the northeast corridor.

[@Jenny-tm3cm]

And beyond

[@rjacks3284]

nah they need to invest more into the military so they can spread freedom and democracy all over the globe. murica!

[@normanozwald]

We need better rail infrastructure across the country. We need passenger rail services across the country.

[@travdaddy777]

@@rjacks3284 couldn't agree more.

[@kenboydart]

You use it. You pay for it .

[@EvanH1122]

Imagine the people 100 years ago looking at all our technology and innovation and how absolutely ashamed they must be by this situation. They built a tunnel underwater with the modern equivalent of a stick of chewing gum and guts.

[@h8GW]

I honestly would like to know what President Biden thinks when he sees the tunnel now versus how he saw the tunnel when it was new. /s not /s

[@CT-vm4gf]

Other countries manage to do it, why can’t the US.

[@sygneg7348]

@@CT-vm4gf lobbying by car and oil companies

[@matthew8153]

@@h8GW Given his mental state you put him on a bridge and he’d swear he’s in the tunnel.

[@h8GW]

@@matthew8153 Reported for trying to start a political flame war

[@michaelmcdermott4385]

I traveled this tunnel in 2018 on the Amtrak. Suffice to say, I'm glad I didn't know how sketchy this tunnel was when we were traveling through it!

[@MikeGrahamDSM]

This is why I love this channel. I learn new things about my city all the time.

[@FinnBrownc]

Why is it gonna take 7 years? The Empire State Building was built in 18 months. We could do it in 2 if we actually tried.

[@sm3675]

Lazy immoralized people

[@souvikrc4499]

Political infighting would be one of the biggest reasons.

[@JackieWelles]

Yes 5 years to fill all the documents and approve budget and 2 years to build a tunnel equal 7 years : )))

[@tothesevenstarsnetwork9265]

they didnt really have labor laws back then lmao u walk u can do it and u dont need breaks etc

[@goobot1]

You think the people who worked in the Empire State had to constantly worry about death because of lack of labor laws?

[@daniels7907]

I have been embarrassed numerous times by business associates from "poor" countries who express shock that proud, rich, America has such pathetic and outdated infrastructure. Meanwhile, the same politicians who insist that we can afford to spend *trillions* of dollars "spreading democracy" to countries that don't want it then turn around and claim that we cannot afford to modernize America!

[@davidanalyst671]

you got it. the problem is the politicians

[@electrikshepherd]

I thought it was funny how in the video we saw numerous shots of the now-completed $25 billion Hudson Yards, which was a far more audacious project catering to the super-rich. Shows where our priorities are.

[@mikeomolt4485]

@@davidanalyst671 It is American citizens that elect the politicians into positions of power. Can't just blame politicians. The American citizens deserve to have crumbling infrastructure and their tax revenue wasted on military action and war, if that's what they choose to vote for.

[@seanthe100]

The thing about it is Americas infrastructure is outdated because it has been rich for so long. Most other nations major nationwide infrastructure is newer than the US because they haven't been rich for that long.

[@seanthe100]

The thing about it is Americas infrastructure is outdated because it has been rich for so long. Most other nations major nationwide infrastructure is newer than the US because they haven't been rich for that long.

[@lacuevadeadulam]

Its mind bogling and absurd at the same time,how a state so expensive,among the highest taxed in the nation...is failing to keep the most basic of things in good shape.

[@antoniokinsey4041]

Just came across this channel. Great content. Thx

[@EricAbbottTri]

Not doing something that is so uncontroversial, important, and would save billions is very American.

[@Freshbott2]

Yet adding freeway lanes proven to increase congestion is so uncontroversial if you don’t do it you get threatened with no funding at all

[@blanco7726]

@@Freshbott2 asding freeway lanes doesn't increase congestion. At least not as a general rule. Depends where it's done and also it depends on how you measure increase.

[@user-dx2nn2jv1t]

We are not our government

[@xBINARYGODx]

@@user-dx2nn2jv1t you are responsible for voting that stuff in, or otherwise doing nothing about it. The R's and most of the D's don't care - they are too busy loving rich people to care about us plebs, and anything that raises taxes on wealth people causes right wingers and centrists to melt their brains. The US is expensive, you cannot have it cheap, yet we have tried for over 40 years, and we have failed. VOTE BETTER!

[@user-dx2nn2jv1t]

Our votes mean nothing. Just a bunch if bs to think we have some say in anything

[@richardyiphk]

After all, It is just a 4400 feet tunnel, how hard could that be??? If the American can built it in 110 years ago; with the modern technology, it should be just a piece of cake to build a new one now.

[@PanzerDave]

The issue isn't the construction. The issue is politics, budgets, Congress, and other parts, especially funding.

[@craftsmanceramics8653]

@@PanzerDave This has nothing to do with Congress or the Federal government. This mismanagement was cause by local and state government failure.

[@BobSmith-rf3ph]

Look at it like this - if the political divisions in the US are capable of shutting down government budgets, imagine the impact that will have on local level issues.

[@PanzerDave]

@@BobSmith-rf3ph It is already having an issue at the local level. Thankfully I live in the city and don't have to take the commuter trains. One effect is that the ferries have become very popular. They are very cost effective, efficient, and rarely have delays. Of course with the lock downs, the usage of the trains has been reduced somewhat, and some of that will not come back. There does need to be a solution but it remains to see if the politicians can get their act together.

[@PanzerDave]

@@craftsmanceramics8653 You are correct that the local and state governments have messed things up. In fact, what a lot of people don't realize is that the states of New York and Jersey back out of their part of a funding agreement a few years ago. The federal government does have a hand in this too however. Take a look at my comment above to see how they are affecting things. In short, there are budget and legal issues that have caused delays in the project.

[@TheKurtsPlaceChannel]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting this. Have a nice day now.

[@erinpitt580]

Love your vids mate - Cheers !

[@nuggets0717]

am I the only New Yorker who actually feels spooked sometimes when I get delayed in this or other tunnels in the city? I think it's a little absurd that this project with an initial lifespan of 40-50 years has been serving the city for 4+ generations without major incident.

[@p2p104]

this

[@skizztrizz4453]

Especially when it's a thunder storm. 🤔😖😖😖

[@bofetada6841]

When I lived in NYC and I would ride the one train at 168 the street and see the green slime the rats the smell of urine and filth it occured to me this is a third world city with third world people it's obvious this world has passes by and is waiting for the next. I would think imagine how beautiful the tiles looked in the 50 but then I am told of the constant water cleaning of the building in of NYC during the 50 and 60s and they would clean off the soot. Imagine I grained into the fabric of a city especially when there are floods. But at least there are 31 sexes now and a plenty of F22 s. That's progress these days.

[@hansgruber9685]

Stop living in a crap hole rats nest then.

[@pv.pp_9515]

@@bofetada6841 ¡Verdad! lo peor es que a otros países de las Américas no les va mejor

[@vice.nor.virtue]

Coul you imagine if a nation spent 1 trillion dollars on a pointless war instead of investing in infrastructure, education and healthcare at home? That would be pretty crazy, huh.

[@haruyanto8085]

Don't forget about possibly having the most profitable and powerful market with some of the most highest earning companies in the world, yet minimum wages and unions are horrendously outdated, couldn't be me.

[@hellolastname9556]

🇺🇸😅

[@hellolastname9556]

Didn't usa billionaires earn a trillion in 2020?

[@ahmedzakikhan7639]

@@hellolastname9556 earning 1 trillion isn't necessarily a waste of money. Entraprenuers and investors need to be compensated for undertaking huge risks and innovation initiatives. Why should they earn same as some office clerk doing 9-5 job ?

[@davidanalyst671]

we aren't socialists. we don't want government spending money on infrastructure. we don't want the governmnet spending money on education. Do you not see what the unions have done to the education system in the USA? WE ARENT SOCIALISTS!! WE DONT WANT SOCIALIZED HEALTHCARE

[@antiseth3964]

This kinda reminds me of that young adult novel “City of Ember,” where a 200 year old underground city effectively has to be abandoned. We are so resistant to update our infrastructure in the US.

[@davidswanson5669]

Well they pretend to pass infrastructure bills but then they spend 90% of that money on non-infrastructure projects and groups, like funding dumb research or art museums.

[@hansgruber9685]

All the money has been stolen by the government and squandered on nonsense.

[@eros5556]

Wow you just unlocked a memory for me thanks

[@brixan...]

I think PEOPLE are resistant to things that cost a lot of money and take a lot of time

[@tarabelle7716]

C a n n e d p i n e a p p l e

[@ripwednesdayadams]

It blows my mind that people were able to build such a gigantic, complex, and modern transportation system over 100 years ago that is still in use today.

[@runswithraptors]

Why? You know the pyramids were built in the past and we still couldn't replicate them today

[@matthewhecht6580]

I love this channel. Thank you for the great content.

[@marksapollo]

For a country happy to spend endless billions on defence, and is in debt by 28 trillion dollars, it seems funny for it to be shy of improving and repairing the main infrastructure of its financial capital. They can either fix it, or have no tunnel, simple really.

[@2laidragon]

You’re wasting your energy here. Only by constantly embarrassing them by comparing how easy for China in building these infrastructures, even much harder ones, will you strike a chord in their psyche.

[@kylejones4440]

The military wastes so much money too. There was tank testing near my town and they had 50 people managing 2 tanks. The guys during the day had nothing to do so they were playing golf in the nearby field every day they were there for months. So inefficient smh

[@Student0Toucher]

The debt part is irrelevant

[@Student0Toucher]

@@2laidragon What does China have to do with this of course in China its easy there is no regulation theres cheap labor and the government does what it wants lol

[@arolemaprarath6615]

US is deemed to collapse. Their biggest mistake was greed for military superiority. Even Rome, the topdog of the antiquity was overrun by tribal invasions and internal conflicts. Can't wait for the US to collapse. Hope Mexico will reconquer back its lost lands.

[@fobudomh]

As an outsider I feel getting things done in America is not that easy... I think it is subjective. Political will and other interest groups play huge role.... Not trying to compare America with countries.

[@madebymollo1780]

I feel like the size and conflict play a huge roll. If the country wasn't a democracy they would get alot more done funnily enough.

[@Wondwind]

New York City is a grift. It’s awful and the greed and desperation are palpable and permeate every aspect of life.

[@liam_weight]

@@madebymollo1780 I don't think democracy has anything do with it, and is inappropriate to even bring into the equation. These sorts of infrastructure projects are done regularly across the whole of the democratic society. Hell, Japan has the best in the world and that would be classed as a Full Democracy, and is followed swiftly after by most of Western Europe and the Nordic regions. Compare this to most autocratic countries where infrastructure spending generally goes to line governmental pockets, because there are not multiple opposition parties to contest them doing it. If anything, I'd argue that America's infrastructure is failing specifically *because* their democracy is failing.

[@madebymollo1780]

@@liam_weight good point, i guess i was just comparing the past 10 years in american politics to somehwere like china. Where obamas processes were reveresed by trump and trump decided to do shit and then that was reversed by biden. And this trickles down to the rest of the country. Funding things is hard because of this. Whereas in china where one state runs all, things get done because there is not conflict. But your right.

[@guardianoffire8814]

Running an empire is not cheap. The United States of America has to cut costs somewhere. That is always funding at the federal, state, municipal government level for infrastructure. Its always a blank cheque for wars and rebuilding of other countries.

[@andrewengland971]

Imagine riding this everyday and watching this video. Makes you feel great!

[@naterdog155]

I've been on trains that stop immediately before the tunnel and waited over 3 hours multiple times by that tunnel and it's the last stop making it even more devastating

[@hhydar883]

It is definitely a much needed project for the city and the East Coast overall. Thanks B1m, also would love to see a detailed video on rail/road tunnels in Shanghai city. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@brandonu.6422]

A video on the Shanghai maglev would be awesome. He should do one

[@xflushestmean93x54]

I don’t know how you find such amazing video ideas, but they’re always entertaining. Keep it up my man.

[@donaldleider7382]

I’m 67 and a lifelong New Yorker and retired FDNY firefighter. I’ve been in these tunnels for many emergencies and they’ve been in horrible shape for years. I’ve been hearing about this project for over 30 years. It should have been completed long ago!

[@youtubeadventure1649]

Very interesting and useful information!!💎😎

[@RonsTVRepair]

This sounds just like Champlain Towers South. New Yorkers haggling about who should pay for their tunnel until it's collapse.

[@chaddwickg5276]

With all those high taxes think.they wouod be able to fit the bill for something so important.

[@hansgruber9685]

@@chaddwickg5276 No. they need the money to protect blm murals.

[@moist_ointment]

As someone who commutes through this tunnel every day to work, I knew it was bad...but I didn't know it was this bad. This is rage inducing.

[@isabellind1292]

Well, good thing nothing bad has happened. But city leaders have to try something different, considering all those billion $ residential skyscrapers, popping up all over Manhattan that the owners barely ever step foot in. They're constructing the world's longest (11 mi.) immersed tunnel, linking Denmark & Germany (the "Fehmarnbelt Tunnel") 130 ft beneath the Baltic Sea w/a 4-lane hwy & 2 RR tracks and it'll have only taken 8 yrs to complete. NYC is a great city and the powers that be have to do better for the citizens who make it tick. Good luck!🗽🍎

[@MM-qp4pd]

It's ok. The politicians made sure you're all vaccinated and boosted every week. Infrastructure not necessary.

[@foxorian]

That was the smoothest slide-in to a sponsorship segment I've ever seen on KZbin. There wasn't even a transition, and I don't know how I feel about that lol

[@sirich7751]

PS, watched a few of your videos...excellent work.

[@karatransitfur]

The videography and editing in this is absolutely amazing, keep up the great work!

[@XBKLYN]

Thanks to former governor Chris Christie of NJ for setting this project back 20 years. Well done....glad you had the interests of 20 million area residents in mind.

[@ECDT1089-EtheLamborghini]

Same issue with the B&P tunnel here in Baltimore.

[@perrymaskell3508]

Look across the 'pond' at what has been done many times over in the London Underground. River crossings, busy city, much older city, ...

[@Ryan-cb1ei]

Still less busy, less people flowing in and out so less complications, and even though it’s much older, there’s far more crap below the ground in NYC, and less space in general, and those are some of the bigger issues

[@oldman1734]

@@Ryan-cb1ei. I’ve often wondered if that were true. I get the idea that all the “metro” lines, overground and underground are considered the New York Metro. In London there are at least three systems. The Underground, the Overground and the DLR (Docklands Light Railway). There is also Thames Link. Though of course London seems to vastly more buses. It seems the New York system is compared only with the London Underground, or as we usually call it, the Tube.

[@markfox1545]

@@Ryan-cb1ei - *fewer people *fewer complications. Simpleton.

[@Ryan-cb1ei]

@@markfox1545 No idea wtf you’re saying. I purposefully tried to make a distinction between population and population flow. NYC is the biggest commuter city in the US. An enormous amount of people who work there commute, and thus they go into and out of the city on a daily basis. This is why cancellations make things so complicated.

[@lloydjacobsen5357]

The trade unions in nyc make everything 10 times more costly.

[@LtNduati]

I've been delayed because of this *_exact_* situation many, many times, I never knew how much it actually cost both figuratively and literally. I grew up in South Jersey, and every year on labor day before school started we'd visit NYC, take NJ transit into the city from Hamilton. I went to college in northern Connecticut, and now work at said college having graduated in 2019, so I've taken Metro North into NYC ever since 2014 and forgot about how often Penn Station was a struggle, and now visit NYC yearly ending in Grand Central. I sincerely hope they're able to deliver this time when fixing Penn Station's troubles

[@dominique___1980]

Just think of how much good we could do for each other and all of humanity, if we could put people first, instead of political ideology. Loved this video. SO glad I found your channel.

[@MM-qp4pd]

It's ok. The politicians made sure you're all vaccinated and boosted every week. Infrastructure not necessary.

[@commonsense3482]

One issue with major infrastructure projects is people look at the construction costs by itself but not the wider impact that the project can have on the communities it serves and ultimately any financial rewards. The idea of a dual set of lines allowing for a contingency during works is a great feature of this idea. If you look at the U.K. there has been a lot of criticism of High Speed 2, and in the early days the marketing focused on time saved and project cost, however if you look at knock on impacts removing fast trains from existing lines and platforms onto new infrastructure you allow local routes to benefit from increased frequency as the gaps left for fast services can be filled with more services on existing routes (without delays for express/fast services to pass) as well as allowing for the potential of expansion of the railway network reconnecting communities that were cut off due to the 1960s Beeching line closures which would now have sufficient demand to support reopening of these old lines. The benefit to the environment and to the economy of these projects is quite rightly highlighted and I believe that as proven in Europe and the US between the 2 World Wars infrastructure and connectivity improvements can have a massive benefits to society. The only thing to ask is how much additional capacity do you build into these projects, for rail should all projects be based on the longest passenger trains in service when deciding platform lengths? Also with projects like London’s Elizabeth Line/Crossrail will it relieve pressure on London Underground lines? Should other projects like Crossrail 2, Brighton Mainline 2 or the Northern extension of HS2 and better east to west connections go ahead all of which will have a massive impact in changing travel habits.

[@adamoak671]

It took six years to dig a 31 mile underground tunnel from England to France in the English Channel at $19 billion in 2019 dollars which is ~$600 million per mile. The cost estimates and time tables for the Hudson project does not make sense given the orders of magnitude in complexity in the English Channel as they built 4 parallel tunnels and did so for far less per mile.

[@h.db.9684]

It’s NYC. They make everything complicated and expensive for no reason.

[@markrobinowitz8473]

@@h.db.9684 There are reasons, just not popular to admit. Mafia in contracting.

[@goobot1]

A lot harder to build in the middle of a densely populated city

[@zonzeven]

@Adam Oak : they built 3 tunnels, 2 with 1 track each and a smaller service/emergency tunnel.

[@tomcartwright7134]

The added cost is the price of union wages, and the fact that most material suppliers , concrete for instance are controlled by mafia families , requiring massive payoffs.

[@DavidOrlandBrown]

I look forward to your videos more than any other channel! Thank you for your amazing content! Keep up the great work!

[@johnjacob688]

I used to live right down the street from that aerial shot at :22.

[@frederickorestuk9089]

Take a look at the subway tunnel to Grand Central Station used by the #7 from Queens. Was a trolly tunnel originally. Pumps pushing out ground and sea water run 24 hours a day.

[@Benyikoko]

This channel is so factual and informative! Thanks again for another great video!!!

[@questioner1596]

If there was saltwater in the tunnels during 2012, does that mean every basement in the area now has rustier rebar expanding inside the concrete foundations?

[@soulscanner66]

Like in Miami Beach?

[@michaelrmurphy2734]

Simply salty air was thought to have caused the Florida building to collaspe. In less than forty years.

[@GilmerJohn]

Water got into the tunnels (to include many of the subway tunnels) because the operators didn't have enough barriers and pumps to stop it. It's on the city.

[@eyesofthecervino3366]

I . . . how would we know? Is there any way to check? Is there any way to replace it, if it is?

[@questioner1596]

@@eyesofthecervino3366, you may notice cracks forming near where rebar has expanded. To replace it you need to support the structure, remove the bad section and pour a new wall.

[@seberianalozowski6754]

That ghastly tunnel was falling apart even back in the 70s, when I used to take the train to the city. While in the tunnel, you can hear a ghostly howling sound!

[@philrabe910]

We haven't had a new tunnel in the San Francisco bay area for half a century. "They" are beginning to whisper about a second BART tube between the East Bay area and the SF peninsula- likely aiming towards SF Int'l airport. After watching another B1M, I think they ought to go the full monty and do a submerged tube combination rail and highway tunnel. But figure a decade of bickering over the alignment and connectivity before the first shovelful of bay mud is dug.

[@zarcokleynhans9654]

Yet another AWESOME video!!Great job B1M!

[@rbanerjee605]

So you watched an 8 minute video in one minute?

[@zarcokleynhans9654]

@@rbanerjee605 No!…..so stupid

[@hellolastname9556]

Yes 🥂

[@patricksanders858]

At 15 seconds the narrator is introducing Penn Station while center of the screen is Madison Square Garden. Penn was barely shown on the far left. Yeah, great video...

[@yoatemybeans2334]

I don’t know how you do it, but I’m glad you do. These videos are great.

[@notthatbadtoday]

Damnn that product placement drop was fierce!

[@StevenTorrey]

Great views of a great city!

[@thehypnoticdog6682]

The problem is that NY and NJ each want the other or the feds to pay for the repairs/construction.

[@darshilmashru8479]

But isn't this PANYNJ's job?

[@mrbrainbob5320]

It was already decided 25%new York 25% New Jersey and 50% the federal government.

[@davidanalyst671]

The politicians have already spent more money fighting, getting estimates and being overall c*nts than it would have costed to just go fix the dam tunnel

[@Zb_Calisthenic]

The problem is defined pension benefits. Eats up alot of the budget.

[@joepropsnyc]

That’s because it benefits New Jersey more than New York. New Jersey Transit uses those tunnels & that doesn’t benefit New York in terms of revenue. Then there is Amtrak which receives subsidies via the Federal Government. Hopefully the don’t come to a resolution after the fact.

[@LukeMorris11]

Loving the videos on New York, more please!

[@M_DanielNY]

Considering the amount of revenue NYC makes, it’s quite insane how terrible the infrastructure is. Look at other European/ Asian countries, it’s a joke what we’re dealing here.

[@bertuj]

new sub , just watched 2 video's , both thumbs up !

[@sourcecode6467]

The usual first class, second to none content from the best in the business

[@TheB1M]

YESS! Thank you so much!

[@inodesnet]

Hard to believe the timeline and fact it has been done already. Projects like this are going on around the world with ease. Here in Sydney, one of three new metro lines are being constructed on a similar scale to London’s Crossrail (and coincidentally using many of the same engineers). Just one tiny portion of it crosses through Sydney Harbour at a similar depth and with similar sediment albeit being 1/2 the length as the Hudson. To do it with ease a slurry TBM thrown in one side, dug to other side, transported back and did second tunnel. Took several months to do the harbour span - not years. The rest of the tunnelling is 60 times Hudson River span and is being done in 4 years (with budget blowouts of course). Smaller economy, smaller budget, getting it done. But barely a mile away work is also being completed on road tunnels that will end up being the longest of any city in the world (21 miles continuous). New York and New Jersey need this. I look forward to another trip to Hoboken after it’s done

[@Skybar23]

I think the biggest difference is the disruption such projects will have on the city and economy

[@inodesnet]

@@Skybar23 this is a fair point. But almost all projects in large cities take this into account. Everything is always doubled up and a mechanism put in place to switch over from an old part of infrastructure to a new part, with some of the design taking into account the necessary downtime required to switch over. This is covered in this video. The crossrail project in London for example needed to "thread the eye of the needle" - effectively they needed to tunnel through pre-existing tunnels coming no more than an 850mm clearance from pre-existing structures. Further to that, a lot of the tunnelling was under and around old buildings. And for this they had laser measuring stations situated on corners of buildings detecting the most minute of movements to ensure correction. Comparing the two projects makes the Hudson crossing look like childs play. However the Brits did get on with the job. (Although some would note the Elizabeth line isn't completely functional yet..... but they've done an extraordinary job with the number of challenges they had)

[@tthomas184]

@@inodesnet no offense, but you sound like 'the new guy', that guy who's gonna tell everyone how it's done and then over time, learns it's not as easy as he thought.

[@alexanderbankowski5617]

@@Skybar23 tbh I think the biggest difference is Americans’ ability to waddle about and work at a snails pace, when it comes to public works. Look up the New York water tunnel no. 3. It’s a national embarrassment. The entire process at every level needs to be evaluated for inefficiencies

[@m2heavyindustries378]

@@tthomas184 IS that just an excuse for pure laziness? What ever happened to the American work ethic

[@chrispopovich700]

It took 4 years to build the original tunnel, with the technology they had over 100 years ago. Now they’re saying it’ll take more than 10 years to build another. Really makes you think

[@darthmaul216]

No. It took 30 years bud.

[@bernardfinucane2061]

There needs to be three or four more train tunnels under the Hudson. A dedicated bus lane in the Holland Tunnel would make sense as well. Private car traffic is too inefficient for a city this size.

[@jackshen5093]

It’s mind boggling that we can’t replicate something that was done more than 100 years ago

[@Predator42ID]

Hundred years ago, they didn't have enough red tape and bureaucracy to sink a fleet.

[@blackopscw7913]

@Will Swift Then they hold our infrastructure...

[@Jacaerys1]

@@Predator42ID they had unlimited funding big difference…

[@Jacaerys1]

@Will Swift cut corners Is what the private industry Is known for.

[@RecklessFables]

@@Jacaerys1 Exactly. Unlimited funding, and a 100 years less construction on top of it all. More access to NYC might not be the correct answer to this "problem" which is why NJ doesn't want to pay for it. Putting more jobs ON AN ISLAND is poor planning.

[@leylehadoris4355]

Another stellar video from the B1M.

[@winkevinci]

Pls convert imperial numbers to metric ones. At least as a small visual note. Thanks for your work!

[@tomcartwright7134]

The announcer was spot on. I love narrators with British accents. Even when they are wrong or just plain speaking untruth , it sounds true and authoritative. Lol!

[@J.Cameron.Stuart.Adams.]

The tunnels are crumbling and slowly shifting with the mud. If we fail to build new tunnels to divert traffic through while rehabilitation of the original tunnels takes place NOW, we will not only lose the original tunnels, but many lives when one or both tunnels suddenly, without warning fail. The 110 year old concrete is pea soup compared to today's advanced high strength, corrosion resistant concrete. That old concrete is turning to dusta as there is no membrane to prevent corrosion, protect from freeze cycles, vibration, and the slow movement. Let it be known we can not inspect the outside walls for evidence of impending failure. We are facing sudden and catastrophic failure if we fail to act now. With this link being so vital, closure for long periods of time is not an option. Therefore the authority keeps traffic flowing with the exception of patch job emergency repairs. The repairs are like closing a stab wound with a band-aid hoping the bleeding will eventually stop, vital organs will self heal,, and infection won't take hold. However, we all know it takes more than a band-aid to save the life of a stabbing victim. We have exceeded the time to act. Another hurricane or flood event before the new tunnels are operational could sever this line completely. Why do we never learn from our mistakes. Financial costs today are a bargain compared to the costs in 10 years time. Nevermind the human toll should both tunnels fail during peak commute hours. Compensation, recovery efforts, emergency work arounds, and new tunnels could send costs 300% of today's new tunnel costs.

[@trydaboom]

Right they don’t think about what if it fails during peek times

[@eveningrice]

It's sad to think that when it fails, only then you will have political will and public outcry to update the infrastructure across the nation. The truth is that most US citizens do not understand what they're missing, because they haven't even seen what good infrastructure looks like.

[@outlawruby]

There’s no reason this project should take 7 years. Infrastructure projects take so unreasonably long in America. They should expedite this as fast as they can, regardless of potentials economic disruptions, it will be more than worth it when it’s finished.

[@59375]

They should hire a Chinese company to do it. 3 years then it's finished. 🤷

[@cobaltblue2756]

They should work 24hours 3xshifting, and thousands worker, also has to build side to side and then meet in the middle...

[@enzhus]

7 years? You should feel lucky if it can be done in 70 years!

[@josepheller8395]

If the seven years includes the refurbishment of the existing tunnels then its actually a conservative estimate.

[@death2pc]

@@59375 Agreed. But then, the one single major irrefutable : UNIONS.............

[@awsomegirlpower476]

Thought you were talking about the tunnels for the A and the C for a second (the ones from Fulton to High St or vice versa depending on your direction)! But yeah, NYC's stations are far from the best, and unfortunately, it sounds like nothing will get done until a major incident happens while people are going to, in, or after they leave the tunnel.

[@Mark-pm9nh]

Honestly after watching this I am terrified to use the tunnel . Scary !

[@joskjj3625]

Love these videos

[@YourLastMoney]

Around 7:15 in the video, a gentleman stated that no one has dug a tunnel under the Hudson in 80 years. Construction on the Delaware Aqueduct Bypass Tunnel started in 2013. It’s for the NYC water supply, not cars or trains, but is is a tunnel under the Hudson. I drive by the western shaft for its construction often.

[@ajkleipass]

DABT is at a depth of 600 feet under the Hudson. The Amtrak tunnel is 100 feet. The water tunnel is also further upriver than the PATH, Holland, Lincoln, and North tunnels.

[@YourLastMoney]

@@ajkleipass For years, people thought the source of water coming out the ground by the power plant in the Town of Newburgh was a spring. It was the leaking aqueduct. They would bring containers to fill with the water to take home.

[@benw3864]

Part of me hopes they decide to spring for the new tunnel being 4 tracks for a total of 6 tracks of river crossing. The demand is so ridiculously high right now for a crossing like that, and it's most likely that it will only continue to increase until the point where eventually more capacity will be needed.

[@InfernoJimmy83]

Hey Fred, well done on the plus 2 million mark, I wish you all the best in the world Bro and all the successes that come with producing such superb content. Well done bro, you work so bloody hard to make this channel and you do really earn the term definitive. 👍🏻🍿😀👌

[@isabellind1292]

Nice comment! I really like this channel. It's very interesting & informative. 😊👍👍

[@ThitutUhthalye]

If this happened in Japan, it probably wouldn’t happen. The tunnel would be modernised years before and there will be two other tunnels next by.

[@matthewcanham6844]

Exactly! This shouldn’t even been seen in politics- but just in progress of the city, as a bare minimum- I feel sorry for New Yorkers and americans

[@paulpetersen3764]

The problem is that you can't get anything done in New York, due to the government and unions. The Long Island railroad is building a tunnel from Long Island to Grand Central Terminal. I was in my late teens when the project was started; I'm now past seventy. The cost has increased exponentially. A column in Trains Magazine by Fred Frailey posed a solution for the new Hudson River tunnels: determine what it would cost to build the tunnel in the most unionized city in the world - Paris, France. The federal share of cost would be based on that amount; the states of New York and New Jersey would pay anything over that amount, due to the fact that the states made the agreements with the unions that made the costs of such projects so expensive.

[@nicoz4122]

US politics in a nutshell: 110 years ago there were these massive projects. Today, it takes decades to agree on starting a much needed project to stop it afterwards. Makes me wonder if any kind of infrastructure project is still possible in US with nowadays politics focused on the very short term (2 to 4 years).

[@davidfreeman3083]

Politics have always been short term. The only difference is the influence of politics on infrastructure. The North River tunnels built 110 years ago (as well as most of the rail infrastructure) escaped that because they were built by PRR, a PRIVATE, FOR PROFIT railroad company, and so were many other railroad builders & runners like the NY central who built the Grand Central (yeah, the Central was probably named after the company rather than indicating its location), and NYNH which built the electrified railroad to New Haven that's still being used until today. Those companies obviously doesn't need to care about politics, because they're private companies, and the infrastructure that they were building were their private property. Hence politicians have no direct say in their affairs. The other option that created a lot of important infrastructure till this day was, using one word (or name) to describe: Robert Moses. Moses was the founder of TBTA, builder of the triborough (now RFK) bridge in NYC, which he named the agency after (which is now part of the modern day MTA, and u could argue that it's the TBTA that provided the current structure of MTA). And also he built a lot of other infrastructure that're important still till this day, although controversially it's mostly highways, but I'd rather blame that on his personal belief as well as the social environment back then. Which means, in theory, if Amtrak, MTA, PANYNJ, NJT, etc. can be run by someone like Moses, (AKA they do have access to public money and are ultimately responsible to the democratically elected political structure, but periodic politics have little to no effect on them), this thing could have already been built, and likely quicker & with less money spent. Robert Moses was more or less considered 'untouchable' even though both the executive mansion in Albany and the City Hall in downtown Manhattan has changed hands multiple times during his tenure. Of course, I wonder either of these options are acceptable under the current political environment in America...

[@vale6613]

The original project was built by private interests. The issue now is that we face a stagnant bureaucracy

[@seanthe100]

Congress passed the infrastructure bill on Friday and this tunnel project was allocated $8 billion construction starts 2023 and it's fully funded.

[@qjtvaddict]

It’s not cut your losses and leave

[@qjtvaddict]

@@seanthe100 too little too late. Remember 2008 and California HSR?

[@Brianrockrailfan]

great video really hope a new tunnel gets built

[@eraldway]

So let me get this right. 112 years ago, they built these tunnels in 4 years with basically no technology what so ever. Now, we are not even on step one yet and could be at least 10 years before this would be operational.

[@johndeltuvia7892]

Imagine the reduction in passenger load if work-from-home was made permanent for office/computer/knowledge workers. Might even get by on one track while fixing the other. Keeping commuting in effect will only hasten the day when the tunnels will all be flooded anyway.

[@TheRailLeaguer]

What?

[@gio160]

The traffic never got low enough to get away with one track, you would never be able to fit Amtrak’s 16 different routes (many of which run over a dozen times per day) through penn station into a 6 train per hour tunnel (that’s the max amount of trains If a tunnel was closed), you’d also have to shove NJT’s 332 daily trains to penn station in there.

[@chan6565]

Something to watch during my dinner! Nice!

[@ijulesy]

you must eat dinner quickly 😂 8 minutes..

[@orfeas8]

hah, I enjoy these videos, they're like meditation.

[@webchimp]

@@ijulesy 5 Minutes, the rest is an advert.

[@zackakai5173]

"This tunnel costs the country billions of dollars every it closes due to its age" "There's no political will to spend money to replace it" If that isn't America in a nutshell I don't know what is. Obvious solution to a problem that would both help people and save us money in the long run, politicians don't want to spend a comparatively tiny amount of money now to get it done.

[@bobspizza7444]

Well luckily for me I've never had a billion dollars so I reckon this tunnel has. Not cost me anything

[@nslouka90]

This isn’t just in NYC there are cities across the US that have problems with aging infrastructure that doesn’t get maintained properly aside from the annual light bulb change. Bridges, tunnels, dams and key highways.

[@mrjonhallam]

Why would it take so long to build, The Channel Tunnel between England and France over 22 miles to 6 years and technology has moved on massively. Looked up Hudson is only 1.5 miles so can’t understand why would take so long to construct. Great video

[@alm5693]

This inevitably needed project could already have been completed if NJ Gov.Chris Christie hadn't single-handedly pulled the plug on funding in 2010. It's cost was high back then, but the cost is higher now, and NY and NJ have missed out on a lot of increased financial productivity that a new tunnel would be providing.

[@PanzerDave]

It is easy to blame Governor Christie for killing ARC, however there were serious problems with that proposal. First, the project was massively over budget. Worse, the project was not the same tunnel system as the one discussed in this video. The ARC tunnels went to an area of NYC and didn't connect to other primary transit systems. It wasn't a very good solution.

[@johnny_eth]

@@PanzerDave "First, the project was massively over budget." For Chris Christie that is a feature, not a bug. That means his buddy contractors would get a big pie.

[@gavnonadoroge3092]

christie also raised nj turnpike tolls by 50% to pay for that tunnel. so where did that $ go?

[@alexe1707]

I have always said NJ should invest in its railroad within the state and and NOT spend its allocation on one project that really the feds should be footing the bill for 100%. I really wish NJ did like Connecticut and base its rail on moving people in the state as opposed to movement to another state. You can build the nice Shiney tunnel but what good is it going to do if trains on other lines can't get to it. Also I think the ARC was 100% for NJ Transit, so if their train broke down you would have the same issues as crews might lose their qualifications on the Amtraak tunnels.

[@TheBandit7613]

@@alexe1707 Why should someone in South Dakota or Arizona pay for your tunnel? No, it's not a federal project.

[@liamm3503]

Another cracking video!

[@TheB1M]

Thanks Liam! 🙌😉

[@koharumi1]

I mean the tunnel is falling apart so you are not wrong.

[@quintxavier]

This channel makes living in New York more interesting…. I’ve been here 12 years now… ready to leave… but then I see these docs and I’m ready to explore more.

[@o.g.2027]

Im a maintenance manager and this kind of conditions is the result of long term deferred maintenance. To upkeep tunnels is very important because of the high humidity and water.

[@PatrickTrpeskiii]

Great Video guys :)

[@kendallbr9166]

😍

[@hafidahsan3464]

Love this construction channel, always give me effort to see the future world. greetings from Indonesia

[@javierpacheco8234]

The future is ugly.