National Engineers’ Week

National Engineers’ Week

In 1827, Thomas Tregold defined engineering as “the art of directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and convenience of man.” The Egyptian pyramids, the Grecian temples, the Roman roads, bridges and aqueducts, are the products of the engineering mind. “Civil Engineering,” the magazine of the American Society of Civil Engineers, November-December 2002 issue highlighted 40 civil engineering landmark and notable projects. Several of these are in the New York region.

Construction began on the Erie Canal in 1817, and was completed in October 1825. It exemplifies determination and skill required to construct a 363-mile long waterway connecting the Great Lakes to New York City.

In 1842, the 41-mile long Croton Aqueduct was completed supplying New York City with a gravity fed, safe potable water supply. It is highlighted by the fifteen masonry arches crossing called the Harlem River High Bridge.

The Brooklyn Bridge opened on May 24, 1883. It is a magnificent suspension bridge. The center span of 1596 feet was the world’s longest. The side spans are 930 feet and the total length is 5,989 feet. It may be the most photographed bridge because of its beauty.

Today’s New York City subway ridership is estimated at 1.3 billion rides per year. The Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) line opened in October 1904. Within a year, the 9.1-mile route was accommodating 600,000 riders. One of its greatest challenges was rerouting water, gas, sewer, electrical and other utility lines.

Construction of the Holland Tunnel began in 1920 and was completed in 1927. Parallel tubes 8,371 feet and 8,558 feet long were designed to include innovative mechanical ventilation buildings housing 84 fans, each 80 feet in diameter. The tunnel was the longest underwater automobile tunnel in the world.

The Empire State Building opened in May 1931 just 14 months after construction began. The art deco architecture consists of limestone, granite, aluminum, and chrome –nickel steel. At 102 stories or 1,250 feet, it stood as the world’s tallest building for 41 years until the construction of the World Trade center towers.

Construction of the George Washington Bridge began in 1927 and was completed in 1931. It is the first suspension bridge to carry fourteen lanes of traffic and today serves 50 million vehicles per year.




The John F Kennedy International Airport originally called the Municipal Airport at Idlewild, and then New York International Airport began in April 1942. Today its four runways serve over thirty million passengers annually as well as air cargo. A recent addition is the introduction of light rail service.

Another suspension bridge is the 7,200-foot long Verrazano Narrows. It opened in 1964 connecting the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn. The 4,260 foot main span was the longest in the world. To resist dynamic wind action, the double deck structure acts as a single, rigid, rectangular tube due to two vertical stiffening trusses between the decks and two lateral trusses, one in each plane of the deck.

The World Trade Center twin towers were completed in 1973. At 110 stories and heights of 1,362 feet and 1,368 feet achieved global acclaim as engineering landmarks.
Paraphrasing Fredric Hamber, “Several centuries ago, providing the basic necessities for one’s survival was a matter of daily drudgery for most people. Today we enjoy conveniences undreamed of by medieval kings. The high standard of living we enjoy, our relative affluence is based on brainpower. Man’s mind is his tool of his survival. Americans should celebrate the spark of genius in the scientist who first identifies a law of physics, in the inventor who uses that knowledge to create a new engine or telephonic device, and in the businessmen who daily translate their ideas into tangible wealth.” Thomas Tregold would include the engineer who harnesses the power of nature for the benefit of mankind.

Ayn Rand stated, “Productive achievement is man’s noblest activity and reason is his absolute.” It is the engineer’s ability to use his mind, to reason, invent and create that has given us canals, aqueducts, subways, vehicle tunnels, airports, buildings that soar 100 or more stories, and majestic long-span bridges. Lets recognize these achievements and celebrate February 20 through the 26, 2005, National Engineers’ week!

Henry W. Hessing, PE