Polly Desjarlais
Content and research manager at the New York Transit Museum and transit expert who provides historical context about Manhattan, the Hudson River crossings, and tunnel construction.
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Feb 20, 2026 • 35min
How To Dig a Train Tunnel Under the Hudson River (from HISTORY This Week)
Polly Desjarlais, content and research manager at the New York Transit Museum, gives concise historical context on Manhattan and Hudson River crossings. The conversation covers the muddy riverbed and engineering hurdles, the 1905 dynamite sinkhole disaster, compressed-air tunneling and sandhog life, and how the tunnels met within inches—plus why these 115-year-old tubes still matter today.
