Mapping Engineering in America

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Mapping Engineering in America American Experience

Premiered February 18, 2014

Mapping Engineering in America

Map history with us! See how engineering has changed America with our new map!

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Episode Extras

Measurements showed that the Pennsylvania RR Hudson River tunnels were shifting.

Watch (02:03)

Clip

Hudson River Tunnel Shifting

Behind the scenes at the country's busiest transportation hub - NYC's Penn Station.

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Clip

Penn Station Central Control

The engineering feat would last, the architectural masterpiece did not. Premiering Feb 18.

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Preview

The Rise and Fall of Penn Station Preview

Compressed air was used to keep the water out of the Pennsylvania RR's Manhattan tunnels.

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Clip

Compressed Air in the Tunnels

Excavation workers, called “sandhogs,” faced many dangers working in a confined space.

Watch (01:24)

Clip

Confined Labor in the Tunnels

Two city blocks, or 28 acres, were initially cleared for Penn Station’s construction.

Watch (01:35)

Clip

Constructing Pennsylvania Station

An exclusive look at New York MTA's subterranean East Side Access project.

Watch (08:09)

Clip

Inside the MTA's East Side Access Project

Map history with us! See how engineering has changed America with our new map!

Watch (02:15)

Preview

Mapping Engineering in America

The masonry work on Pennsylvania Station began in 1908.

Watch (02:14)

Clip

Penn Station Rising

The Pennsylvania Railroad announced they would be tunneling into Manhattan.

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Preliminary Worries with the Pennsylvania Railroad Tunnels

In 1961 the Pennsylvania Railroad announced it had sold the air rights above Penn Station.

Watch (02:59)

Clip

The Destruction of Penn Station

The engineering feat and architectural achievement that was torn down after just 53 years.

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Clip

The Rise and Fall of Penn Station, Chapter 1

Tunneling under the Hudson river proved easy, but the East River was becoming a nightmare.

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Clip

Tunneling the East River

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About the Program

American Experience

American Experience, TV's most-watched history series, brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.

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Program Specials & Extras

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The dramatic story of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.

Watch (1:00:42)

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Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act [Extended Audio Description]

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