Opinion

Long awaited celebration for Water Tunnel No. 3

Builder Robert Moses used to say that he was only interested in constructing bridges because “a tunnel is just a hole in the ground.” Which is to say, there’s nothing glamorous about a tunnel.

Mayor Bloomberg noted as much when he turned a valve this week and officially opened Water Tunnel No. 3. “It’s not sexy,” he conceded. “And nobody says thank you.”

Well, here’s some well-deserved thanks.

New York City Water Infrastructure map

This was a celebration nearly six decades in the making. Indeed, Dwight Eisenhower was president when the project was first approved in 1954. John Lindsay was mayor when construction finally began in 1970. And it won’t be fully complete until 2021.

But this most epic of New York City public-construction projects is as vital a piece of infrastructure as any: Before its completion, only Tunnel No. 1 supplied water to Manhattan, and its failure could have shut the city. Which is why Bloomberg made sure financing was there, even during economic slowdowns and budget crunches.

Fact is, much of the city’s roadway, mass- transit and other networks are aging, and will take billions to beef up. Our next mayor would do well to remember that, after crime-fighting, perhaps nothing is as central to his mission as maintaining infrastructure.

Still, the opening of Water Tunnel No. 3, despite the huge cost — $4.7 billion and 24 lives lost — is well worth celebrating. And giving thanks for a job well done.