A rose by any other name? Hot on the heels of the TriboroughRFK bridge and the QueensboroEd Koch Bridge the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel yesterday was suddenly transformed into the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel in honor of the late, great Governor who "saved New York City." But will anybody ever actually call the tunnel by its new name?
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Gov. David A. Paterson, former Gov. Mario Cuomo and a whole bunch of other city and state representatives gathered at the entrance to the tunnel yesterday to unveil the new signage (which cost the MTA $17,000) and to praise Carey, who died last year and was New York's 51st governor from 1975 to 1982.
"Governor Carey was the man who saved New York. He put together business and labor leaders, democratic and republican leaders, something we certainly need more in the government today," Bloomberg said. "Every day thousands of commuters don’t take the subway; they drive through this tunnel and into Hugh Carey’s old congressional district. And from this day forward, if only for a moment, they’ll also think of Hugh L. Carey, who really was a giant in his time."
And it is true, Carey really was a great guy. But will anybody really want to call "his" tunnel by its new name? Eventually, probably. People call the PanAm building the MetLife building, don't they?
