 The underpass runs underneath the Battery, connecting the West Side Highway to the South Street Viaduct with two lanes of traffic in each direction.The project was completed shortly after the opening of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel in 1950, and provides direct access between the tunnel and the FDR Drive.In 2005, during the reconstruction of NY 9A, the western end of the Battery Park Underpass was extended to the north by about to provide a U-turn lane and amenities for pedestrians and bicyclists.