New-York tribune., 1896-10-20
REPORT on THE ELN-ST ROUTE
MR.. PARSONS TO HAVE HIS ESTIMATES
READY IN A FEW DAYS
WILLIAM sTEINwAY BELIEVES RAPID TRANSIT
NOW A PROBABIIITY-A TALK ABOUT
THE COST AND CHANGES


THE COST AND CHANGES
The announcement that Mr.. Parsons the engineer
o. the Rapid Transit Commission. will make his
final report 10 that body in n few days. and the
fact that the Elm Street Improvement Commission
Is pushing its labors so that work that great
improvement n ay he begun next May. has aroused
great interest. not only among property-owrers
along the proposed Elm-si underground railroad
route. but among citizens OF this city generally.
William Sieinway. speaking Saturday a mem
Der of the Rapid Transit Commission and "A
citizen. said: Mr.. Parsonss report will be only
upon the cost of carrying out the plans Of the Rapid
Transit Commission 70, the underground road. All
the other phases OF the plan have been determined
upon. The cost will be considerably under $5,o'oG"
and pretty close to So 100000 only half the
amount for which the city has been authorized TO
bond itself The for The comparatively small
cost of the Fn-st. route for the lower end Of ,le
line. "a against that which proposed. took
In Broadway below Forty-sccond-s. is readily 10
be seen. The value Of property and the expense OF
eAcavating In broadway especially below Four
tccnth-st, together with the extent to which private
vaults occupy the street. would have made ;e cost
of the road exceedingly high. while in Eln-st. the
whole work he done fror. the surface and car
ried In connection with the Elm-st. Improvement
at exceedingly low cost. ]; is the intention. as
am authoritatively Informed to push the Elm-st.
widening ard opening through TO Lafayette Place
vigorously in the spring. The Elm Street Commits
sion is at work with that end In view.
THE PROPOSED ROUTE.
"'rhe route determined upon begins under the
City Hall square thence To Elm-st, as II Will
he when widoned and extended. through Em-st. to
Lafayette Place. thence up that street to Fourth
ave- TO Il point b. tween Forty-firs: and Forty-sec-
ond sts whence II will curve to the west ard Into
Forty y-secondst. n. or about Madison ave- and viii
run westward through Forty -seconG-st. 10 a poi.it
east Of Broadway and thence II will curve north
ward entering broadway at Long Acre Square. and
going thence up liroadway.
1T will he possible TO attack the whole work from
.hc surface except under Murray Hill. between
Thirty-third and Forty first sts. This will greatly
lessen the expense OF construction. The station at
me lower end Of the route will be at about the IN
,ersoctio1 Of Duane-st.. Em-st.. as widencd ana
extended. and Chambers-st. The station OF course
will be undergro ma The entrances TO 1t VIII be
one AT City Hall Square. one near the brooklyn
Bridge, In Chambers-st.. one being near the
Immigrant Industrial Savings Institution. ana one
al Park Row. near the East River Savings lns'-
tuition There will be entrance to the norm near
the Tcmls. Ey this means the station can bc
rea rhed from all directions. ana viii he the great
distributing downtown centre
"Tho Elin-st improvcmcn; will create ne"
Roadway the depression In the present street can
be built up In connection with IN" und'rgr'uh'
road and tho improvement and so new broad
through avenue for traffic ana t'aa. between the
lover ana upper parts q the city will he opened
in fact. since this viii open direct communication
between the Bridge and Broadway 81 lnion
square the new ihoroughfare. with the under
ground road n Il. may revolniionize me, tme maj, a,
OF Tie city The possibilities. II not probabilities
are great IN that direction IT.
As far rs CITY i;ail SG1arc After the execution
OF these. plans will be considered for coniinHa .
i tion VI a tho Battery. Tn" hnhnclai slnr
OF the problem. as vol as its other prac,n.h'
.si.isa ny "a Of e.g sc srs..p ear AMI
rapidly. The whole Improvement. y seems to me.
IN mn Inc o. hisiorv sno NOS OF the Pgt"' cy
A. T. Boardman. Of Tracy Boarcman q p,nt',
sion. was quoted saving that the Improvement
plans would be pu' into execution ny M@y s
hard u work preparing its report Tor condemnation
proceedings
CONNECTION WITH THE NEW BRIDGE
Another phase Of Importance bearing on the Elin-
St route adopted IL the connection 10 he made
between IT and the East River Bridge Such a
connection in the ncghborhood of canal-si. accord
ing 10 an authority on the rapid transit subjcc;
who has studied the question. VIII aiford inuch
better means Of access from Brooklyn 10 Broadway.
the Grand Central Sta..Ju and tho upper west SIDE
Of the city than would connection WIN thr ri'..
waited railroad system. This combination tn idc',
he added. would cut in heavily upon th' s,eN'.ei
railroad traffic. II would also serve TO heighrn me
| transformation In that par Of the Eiin-st route
lying between City Hall square and Grand-si' which
would naturally result from the opening of the Elm
st. underground line , ~,
cussing also The probable effect OF me new route
!
/ Transit Commission "a Mr. StenWa. SAID VIII IN
/ clude a station under Long Acre SIuarc The TACT
that the road would first enter broadway AT TINS
point IL was argued. would make this part oi
broadway extremely valuable. The Astors own the
block fronts Oh the Yves; site Of Long Acre Siudr"
from orty-thirG-st. to Forty -ffi hist ana tnfn
of The front between Forty-nfth and Foriy-sixth
sts This properfy Was b. ight by william y. As
Tor i'm s;1 with a view to its possibilities as real
estate Investment
There were rdmors yesterday that the Astor es-
! tate was already planning 10 erect large ana M.
br;iidfrgs upon more Of the two block fronts
mentioned a representative OF William Waldorf
/ Astor said. however that plans IN that direction
were not being considered for immediate execution
Real estate men - more stirred up over the poSs
bliics in the new route ana the cnocts direct ana
remote OF the Elm-st. Improvement than they have
been in many a day.