American Experience

Hudson River Tunnel Shifting

Clip: Season 26 Episode 5 | 2m 3s

As the Pennsylvania Railroad tunneled underneath the Hudson River, measurements showed that the tunnels were shifting up and down in the silty river bottom. Increasing the weight of cast iron linings did nothing to settle the tunnels, and the shifting continued. Engineers finally figured out what suddenly seemed obvious: the tunnels were moving with the tide.

Aired: 02/18/14

Rating: NR

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