Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Infrastructure

Touring the East Side Access Tunnel, Surrounded By Schist

This morning I took a tour of the MTA's newly completed East Side Access tunnel 140 feet below Midtown Manhattan. My laptop is about to run out of batteries and, of course, I left my power cord at home. (It's a good thing I'm only in charge of running a blog and not, say, a 22-foot diameter, 850-ton tunnel boring machine.) So I'm just going to publish these photos with minimal text. I'll fill in the details later. Warning: If you're not a serious infrastructure geek, you might just want to skip this post altogether.

img_5664-traynor.jpg

Joe Trainor, MTA Capital Construction

16-flights.jpg

Sixteen flights down.

dark-tunnel.jpg

Reminds me of a Merle Travis song.

img_5725-man-car.jpg

The "man car." Not the fanciest press junket.

workers-tunnel.jpg

Heading southbound towards Grand Central.

curve.jpg

Left curve end. Right curve start. 

img_5724-digger.jpg

Digger.

img_5682-welder.jpg

Blow torch.

img_5687-schist.jpg

Manhattan schist.

img_5714-sandhog.jpg

Sandhogs.

img_5703-drilltip.jpg

Drill tip.

img_5695-hoseguy.jpg

 Drill tip and worker.

Back to 63rd Street and 2nd Avenue in all of its sweltering, stylish, SUV-choked glory.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

‘Stupendous Potential’: Pay-Per-Mile Auto Insurance Would Cut Costs And Traffic Violence

Lowering car insurance costs doesn't have to eviscerate crash victims's rights.

March 5, 2026

Senate Majority Leader Questions Hochul’s Insurance Premium Scheme

The growing chorus of state lawmakers who want clarity on how the governor's auto insurance helps real New Yorkers now includes Stewart-Cousins, the second-most-powerful woman in state government.

March 5, 2026

Locked In: Mamdani Proposes $25M For Long-Sought Secure Bike Parking

Nine years after the city announced an unrealized plan for secure bike parking, Mayor Mamdani wants $25 million to build a network of 500 bike lockers.

March 5, 2026

Thursday’s Headlines: Mamdani’s Criminal Crackdown on Cyclists Edition

Another day, another criminal summons. And another record from Jimmy and the Jaywalkers. Plus other news.

March 5, 2026

Opinion: A Fairer — And Better — Way For Taxi Passengers To Pay The Congestion Toll

A per-minute, rather than flat, fee on passengers entering the central business district would reduce traffic, Charles Komanoff says.

March 4, 2026

NJ Scales Back Part of Gov. Murphy’s Turnpike Boondoggle

There’s now one less thing for New Yorkers to dislike about New Jersey.

March 4, 2026
See all posts