The Face of America: Helix
Title
Subject
Description
Caption: That great curving ramp, called a helix by the engineers who built it, leads down into three of the world's most expensive holes in the ground: The triple-tube Lincoln Tunnel from New Jersey to New York City. Eighteen traffic lanes pass under the toll booths on the plaza at lower left, and they merge into six as they enter the tunnel. Beyond the Hudson River, the lights of the metropolis glamorize the night. The tallest building (upper left) is the Empire State. Each day, nearly 40,000 automobiles go underground here at Weehawken, N.J. and emerge after a five minute trip on the west side of Manhattan between 38th and 39th Streets. And an equal number escape the jammed streets of the crowded island and sweep back up the helix. The impatient drivers take little note of the design which their headlights emphasize, but they are part of an accidental pattern of beauty. And even these weary travelers must find subconscious satisfaction in traversing this mighty spiral, upward and outward from deep beneath the river. Photograph by Dan Weiner.