<Tr> <Th> Tunnel clearance </Th> <Td> 13 feet (4.0 m) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Width </Th> <Td> 21.5 feet (6.6 m) </Td> </Tr> <P> The Lincoln Tunnel is an approximately 1.5 - mile - long (2.4 km) tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting Weehawken, New Jersey on the west bank with Midtown Manhattan in New York City on the east bank . It was designed by Ole Singstad and named after Abraham Lincoln . </P> <P> The Lincoln Tunnel was originally proposed in the late 1920s and early 1930s as the Midtown Hudson Tunnel . The tubes of the Lincoln Tunnel were constructed in stages between 1934 and 1957 . Construction of the central tube, which originally lacked sufficient funding due to the Great Depression, started in 1934 and it opened in 1937 . The northern tube started construction in 1936, was delayed due to World War II - related material shortages, and opened in 1945 . Although the original plans for the Lincoln Tunnel called for two tubes, a third tube to the south of the existing tunnels was planned in 1950 due to high traffic demand on the other two tubes . The third tube started construction in 1954, with the delay attributed to disputes over tunnel approaches, and it opened in 1957 . Since then, the Lincoln Tunnel has undergone a series of gradual improvements, including changes to security and tolling methods . </P>

How did the lincoln tunnel get its name