8. 5,000 People Walked Through the Tunnel on Opening Day
The Queens Midtown tunnel officially opened to traffic on November 15, 1940, but 5,000 people had the opportunity to walk through one of its tubes a few days prior. As reported by amNewYork, the “tunnel warming” was permitted as a “show of gratitude” to the people who had to endure the noise of construction on the Manhattan side.
While walking across, one person reportedly exclaimed “What a bomb shelter this tunnel would make!,” according to a New York Times article, published on November 11, 1940.