Zeev's Turnips Patch-No Politics (ZEEV)

[TJ Parker]

Holland Tunnel Closing To Inbound Truck Traffic
Commercial Vehicles Should Use Lincoln Tunnel, George Washington Bridge

POSTED: 10:30 pm EDT August 1, 2004
UPDATED: 10:53 pm EDT August 1, 2004

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- The Holland Tunnel is expected to close to commercial traffic heading to New York at 12:01 a.m. Monday, officials said Sunday evening.

The ban was "correlated to the warning about the downtown financial districts," said Tony Ciavolella, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

He said commercial vehicles should use the Lincoln Tunnel and George Washington Bridge as alternative routes.

The ban would definitely affect trucks, said Ciavolella, but it was not immediately clear whether commercial vans would be prohibited.

The ban was not slated to affect vehicles leaving New York City.

No ending date for the ban was set.

"This plan is part of the Port Authority's continuing cooperation with federal, state and local agencies," Ciavolella said.

The Holland Tunnel runs from Jersey City, N.J., to lower Manhattan, near where many financial institutions are based