New-York tribune., 1901-08-20
FEWER OF THEM NOW.
LONG ISLAND ROAD MAKING MANY
CHANGES LACK OF STATE FUNDS.
TBY rELEGRAPH 10 THE rR1BrxE.I

tBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEI
Albany, Aug. 19.-The State Railroad Com
mission and the Long Island Railroad Company
have done their share toward the elimination OF
grade crossings on Long Island. A large num-
Der Of applications, none Of which however
came from municipality, have been acted upon
favorably by the State Railroad Commissioners.
but nothing further can be done until the local
authorities act. The land necessary for the
changing Of a grade to an under or over grade
crossing must be acquired by the municipality
before final action is taken. Thus far the Long
Island Railroad Company has been liberal re-
garding doing away with grade crossings
Its petitions indicate that II is willing to act in
every case, and it has not opposed single petit
tion of this nature but has given to all full con-
sideration. Only recently the company sent
letter to the commission asking that the work Of
abolishing a grade crossing be hastened. The
Long Island Railroad has filed 13S petitions
asking that 143 crossings at grade be done away
with while town boards have filed four petit
tions of like nature. covering six crossings.
OF these petitions. twenty-four were withdrawn
by the company either before or after hearings
before the Railroad Commission. twenty-eight
were approved by the board, thirty-one were
denied and sixty-eight pending.
A most important matter in connection with
the work is that the appropriation by the State
each year is not sufficient to do all that is
desired. The State pays one-quarter. the
municipality one-quarter and the railroad COM
pany half of the cost The work desired by the
Long Island Railroad would exhaust the entire
State appropriation for several years. Work is
under way at Avenue U, Brooklyn, where
the avenue is being carried under the railroad.
The work will cost 100000 The railroad COM
pany IS about to build an underground crossing
at Riverhead. where three grade crossings will
be abolished by the building of one under
grade the cost to be $1,000.
At JamespOrt work will be started before
winter on $4,000 undergrade crossing abOl-
ishing two grade crossings.
Midway between BridgehamptOn and South
amptOn Overgrade crossing has just been
finished, doing away with dangerous diagonal
crossing at a cost of $500.
At Southampton an undergrade crossing has
been constructed at a cost OF $4,000 and at
Bridgehampton an undergrade crossing at a cost
of $1,000.
At Division-ave. Patchogue. grade crossing
has been abolished At Huntington, an under
grade crossing has been ordered to be con-
stcucted by the State Railroad Commission
The municipality has not acquired the neces-
sary land, but expects u secure 1t so that the
work can be done this fall
At a recent meeting of the railroad commits
sion d petition received from New-YOrk
asking for a grade crossing at Sutter-ave., near
the East New-York station of the Long Island
Railroad. The engineer of the board has been
that the petition be not granted. for the reason
that an over crossing can be made there.
No petition has been received to change the
grade at Avenue d and Gravesend-ave. A num-
Der of hearings on Long Island petitions are set
by the railroad commission for September.