This is the entrance to the queens Midtown Tunnel.
We have been through here many times over the years but something was different this time.
I said to my husband, "What's the big door?"
He guessed correctly that it had something to do with Hurricane Sandy.
The large metal doors at the entrances of the Queens Midtown Tunnel are custom engineered steel floodgates.
Installed as part of the MTA's post-Superstorm Sandy resiliency and storm-mitigation program,
these massive doors protect the tunnels from devastating coastal floods and storm surges.
In the event of a major coastal storm, the doors are designed to seal the tunnel portals and prevent water from pouring in and destroying critical electrical and structural systems.
I guess Old Abe was surprised as I was.