The Holland Tunnel is a tunnel under the Hudson River that connects Manhattan with Jersey City in New Jersey. Whether you are using a Manhattan auto rental or your own car, you can drive the Holland Tunnel to expand your trip in New York to explore some of New Jersey.

Built to last

Construction of the Holland Tunnel began in 1920 and was completed in 1927. There was a lot of debate over whether or not they should build a tunnel or a bridge over the Hudson River. It was determined that a bridge would be too costly when they thought that it would have to be at least 200 feet high to avoid interfering with shipping. The chief engineer on the project was Clifford Milburn Holland, for whom the tunnel is named. He died before the project was completed, and never got to see his whole project come to life. It is one of the earliest examples of ventilated design, having 80 foot fans blowing air into a series of ducts. This is required in case of an car accident so carbon monoxide from the exhaust doesn't poison people in the tunnel. The Holland Tunnel is made up of two tubes, each for one direction of traffic. They are situated in the mud beneath the river. There is a toll-booth on the New Jersey side that will charge $6 for your car to get back onto the island, but there is no charge on the New York side to go to New Jersey. This is because booths on the Manhattan side would stop traffic in Manhattan at peak hours when they were trying to get home. Almost 35 million people used the Holland Tunnel in 2005.

There are strict rules about what can be transported through the tunnel after a chemical truck caught fire and caused a lot of damage to the South Tunnel. Certain trucks are prohibited from using the tunnel after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and cell phone service was turned off for a few days following the London bombing in 2005. When you drive the Holland Tunnel, remember that safety is a top priority.

Drive the Holland Tunnel

Today the Holland Tunnel carries about 100,000 vehicles per day between Jersey City and Canal Street. Signs leading to the tunnel do not have signs for the I-78, even though the freeway continues into Manhattan, so ask for directions from your hotel concierge before you leave so you don't get lost in your van rental or SUV rental from Prestige Car Rental.

Traveling through the Holland Tunnel is easy and fast. You can see New Jersey and get back to New York very easily. On the Manhattan side is the beginning of Chinatown, Little Italy, Tribeca, and SoHo. There is a lot to do in this part of town - shopping, eating, and much more. There is always so much to do around here, your vacation will feel like it flew by!