Flooded entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel

The New York governor declared an unprecedented transportation state of emergency forthe downstate New York City area.  This is a result of Hurricane Sandy flooding many automobile and train tunnels.  The hurricane caused a large portion of the NYC subway to close.  This resulted in a colossal amount of people driving to work causing massive gridlock in the center city which created a very dangerous situation.  The governor waived fees for rail, subways, and buses to encourage more people to take public transport.  The following link leads to a video describing the state of New York City and its transportation system.

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nbc-news/49632950#49632950

Inflatable Plug in a test tunnel.

It is sad to see that New York’s transportation system is crippled by weather.  I understand that it was an unprecedented storm, but I feel that the system should be designed to withstand storms of this magnitude.  What ever happened to the flood gates or other alternatives that were supposed to be installed?  That could have stopped flooding in tunnels as the following link to an article suggests.  This article explains the use of a inflatable plug for tunnels and how could have prevented the disaster in New York City.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/31/us/new-york-subway-plugs/index.html