The Catwalk Cars patrol system, designed by the Port Authority in the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, supported tunnel monitoring from 1954 until 2011 using compact electric and gas-powered vehicles. A new student-led design competition proposes a robotic successor to manage traffic incidents without disrupting flow, integrating communication tools and cameras for real-time response.
In 1954, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey introduced electric “catwalk cars” to patrol the Holland Tunnel. These compact, three-horsepower vehicles were designed to traverse a 2.5-foot-wide walkway along the tunnel wall, previously monitored on foot by six Port Authority Police Department officers. With the deployment of these bi-directional vehicles, the department reduced staffing to four officers while improving response times to tunnel incidents. The electric units, capable of speeds up to 12 miles per hour, offered a practical solution to growing traffic demands beneath the Hudson River.
By 1960, a second generation of catwalk cars entered service in the Lincoln Tunnel. These vehicles were powered by eight-horsepower gasoline engines and featured steel and aluminum bodies reportedly manufactured to aerospace specifications by the industrial division of Lennox. The Lincoln Tunnel models differed structurally, attaching to wall-mounted guide rails and relying on a single road-facing rubber wheel for stability. They lacked the canopies of their Holland Tunnel predecessors and were instead built with flat sheet-metal sides. The design prioritized maneuverability in narrow conditions, though their limited interior space made them inaccessible to larger officers.
Despite their mechanical simplicity, the vehicles remained operational until 2011. They were ultimately phased out as surveillance cameras and modern communications systems replaced manual patrol methods. The tracks that once supported them have since been removed, although the original catwalk infrastructure remains in place.
The Port Authority has now launched a new initiative to revisit this specialized transport method through a design competition aimed at high school students in New York and New Jersey. The program calls for the creation of a robotic successor to the catwalk car, with requirements that the design include integrated cameras and communication systems. The robot must be capable of interacting with drivers during tunnel stoppages without interfering with active traffic lanes.
The competition follows three phases: outreach, workshops, and a final exposition. Teams of five to eight students, supported by an educator, may begin forming their groups during the outreach period, which runs through September. The design process continues through the fall with feedback sessions, and final submissions open on June 28. Entries will be evaluated by the Port Authority’s Tunnels, Bridges, and Terminals division for technical feasibility and operational effectiveness. The winning team will receive a $750 prize and the potential opportunity to see their design adopted for use in tunnel infrastructure.
Seth Wainer, director of innovation at the Tunnels, Bridges, and Terminals division, commented on the program’s objective, stating, “It is time we dust off the cobwebs on the catwalks and utilize them with 21st-century technology to find out about stoppages, effectively communicate with drivers and address stopped traffic within our tunnels.” The competition presents an opportunity to merge historic design logic with contemporary engineering, as the Port Authority explores a new application of legacy infrastructure through student innovation.
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