More than 21,000 people voted in a survey about changing the Holland Tunnel's Christmas decorations - here's what they decided on

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More than 21,000 people voted in a survey about changing the Holland Tunnel's Christmas decorations - here's what they decided on

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Port Authority

Port Authority New York & New Jersey/YouTube

The results of the "Great Holland Tunnel Decoration Debate" were revealed on December 17, 2018 by Port Authority Chairman Kevin O'Toole and Executive Director Rick Cotton.

  • The people have spoken, and a new design has been decided on for the Christmas decorations hanging over the letters above the New Jersey entrance to the Holland Tunnel, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced on Monday.
  • The Port Authority received criticism - and laughter - last week for its placement of holiday decorations above the Holland Tunnel's entrance. 
  • It created a survey to allow people a chance to vote on which revamped design they would like best, and officials said the survey received 21,500 votes.
  • A picture of the winning result was shared on Twitter by the Port Authority on Monday afternoon, showcasing the Christmas tree hanging over the letter "A" and the wreath removed from the letter "U."

The people have spoken, and a new design has been decided on for the Christmas decorations hanging over the letters above the New Jersey entrance to the Holland Tunnel, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced on Monday.

In a video posted on YouTube on Monday afternoon, Port Authority Chairman Kevin O'Toole and Executive Director Rick Cotton shared the results of the humorously titled "Great Holland Tunnel Decoration Debate."

"It's a small miracle that the Port Authority actually responded in little over a week," O'Toole said when he took the microphone in the YouTube video. "We heard the complaint, 21,000 residents, commuters have responded to the poll. We're thrilled we reacted as quickly as we did."  

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey received criticism - and laughter - last week for its placement of holiday decorations on the letters above the Holland Tunnel's entrance.

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As cars entered the Holland Tunnel's New Jersey tollbooth plaza, travelers saw wreaths over the letters "O" and "U" and a Christmas tree design covering the letter "N" in the word "Holland." 

holland tunnel

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

The Port Authority created a survey to allow people a chance to vote on which revamped design they would like best. Voters were given the choice of four configurations, which included pictures, before the survey closed Sunday at 5:00 p.m. 

21,500 people voted in the survey, according to the Port Authority's official Twitter page.

James Allen, the chief of staff to the vice chair of the Port Authority, posted on Twitter that the "winning choice received 41.6% of the vote in a closer-than-expected race!" 

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A picture of the newly decided configuration was shared on Twitter by the Port Authority on Monday afternoon, showcasing the Christmas tree hanging over the letter "A" and the wreath removed from the letter "U."

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According to The New York Times, one commuter had been so put-off by the design that he launched a petition on Change.org, asking for the Christmas tree to be moved over the letter "A." That petition had thousands of signatures by Monday afternoon. According to the Port Authority, the decorations have been displayed this way for two decades.

The Holland Tunnel connects traffic between New York and New Jersey via an underground passage that runs beneath the Hudson River and is operated by the Port Authority.

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