The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-27
PARK AVENUE PLAN ADOPTED.
STEEL vIADUCT FROM FORTY
NINTH STREET DOWN.
Board Of Estimate and New York Central
Railroad Have Worked Ont q Project
Acceptable to BOth--Schcme for cross
Streets-NO More Grade CrOssings.

Sueets-NO wore Grade GrOssinSs.
The subcommittee OF the Board OF Est
mate appointed to consider the applicat ion
Of the New York Central and Hudson River
Railroad Company for the Improvement OF
its terminal facilities about the Grand
Central Station presented a report yester-
day. II grants certain privileges asked
for by the railroad company, but proposes
radical changes in the plans
The most notable of these changes is
the continuation Of Park avenue in the
form OF a steel viaduct from Forty-ninth
street where it ends now because of the
yards of the railroad, down to the station
itself at Forty-fifth street, where il is pro-
posed to connect il with the station and
with Vanderbilt and lexington avenues.
The proposition of the city in regard to
this improvement is that the railroad COM
pany shall give the ground for the viaduct
over its yard and the city shall pay the
cost OF It. The viaduct, as proposed in
the committees plans, is to he a steel road
way sixty feet wide with the cross streets
down to and including Forty-ffth street
intersecting it, some al grade and the
others not exceeding per cent. grade.
The report of the subcommittee. which
consists of the Mayor. Comptroller Grout,
TOrn'- OF tlr' bOirt Oh hlut'fIlen,
President Cantor of Manhattan and Presi-
dent Haffen of The Bronx, is intended as
counter proposition to the modified
scheme Of the railroad company. In con-
clusion the report recommends:
First-That the vault spaces under side
walks bout the station be not granted Ia this
connection.
Second That, the grades, shown and the
general plans of the railroad compa MES. both
for Park avenue, the Grand Central station.
and for TIE e,imination Of the grade Cross
and High Bridge. and It's plan for the 'limi-
nation Of grade cro1Slnrs in the vicinity
fas 9s strc orenr pco
Tibet avenue, West % t. street and West
227th street: under the provisions Of Ciaper
Third-That Park avenue be continued
by eo-font visduct from Forty-ninth street
Fourth-That the railroad compa MES en-
gage to prepare at once plans for the elimi-
inss in the borough of The Bronx. to wit
on tho Port Morris branch of the Harlem
by The city. TO execute the same
Fifth1That If the execution Of ANY ,,s Of the
s sr ss cy or e
TO any property owners, the railroad CONF
panies shall pay the same and save the city
Siyth-That it 10 recommended to the
Rapid Transit Commission 70 consider fay
way AT Forty-second street with these rail-
road lines. and also for the connection of
The street and t't01
the railroad companies ask for these con-
nections OF such commission.
SeSenth-That the railroad compa mics pay
the city an annual rental OF s?5 900 for the
use OF the sub-snrfacs Of stre"ts shown on
an. s PARK avenue ." except as to vault rrivi
leees as provided in the first reconnenda-
ton. assume all the EXPENSE Of constructing
AhA hviA nd frnp ~
tie additioHsI width Of the Forty-afth street
mined as the cost to the city OF acquiring
and constructing equivalent street space:
the InS for b1 ns to build the
third Recommendation and In all other re-
spects bear the costs and charges Involved.
and as stated In their proposition OF Dec s.
Eiehth-Thst upon such e 's,; and via
atus as may be necessary to the safe opera.
tion OF the railroads. and which cannot
be Ss II h Si1 Gr
by The Mayor and the President OF the Borough
N,nth"That the entire action Of the city
herein Is conditioned upon the railroad COM
panies procuring. asserting TO and aiding the
sny carry 70 ,sssS CLAM and pfoS"sons into
effect in their entirety and without modih-
S SSt, and which iesislaton shall also per-
nit and require the change OF motive power
from steam to electricity or some other motive
power not involving combustion in cars or
motors by all the railroads now or at any tine
hereafter using the tunnel in Park or Fourth
Shall contain. however. proviso that in an
emer gency arising from breakdown OF the
be- o temnorarily operated BY steam, the emer-
Cency in each case to be determined by the
Tenth-That the changes herein. involved
shall be commenced within THIRTY, days after
such legislation Is bad, nrosecuted diligently.
and finally completed within I'VE years
Eleventh-That no power house Except
stations or The S 81 ele sa S
more than mt" two blocks from the waterfront
except with the consent Of the Board Of
Estimate and Apportionment. and that the
location Of all such power houses shall be first
approved by the Board OF Estimate and APP
portionment
Regarding the cross streets. the report
saws that the reduction Of these crossings
to grade would mean the entire alt ration
Of the station at an expense which does not
seem to be warranted, inasmuch as the
crossings at an average Of pa per cent.
grade would mean but little Inconvenience.
The streets thus constructed II Ia proposed
shall he fifty feet wide. As under ordinary
conditions the city would have to obta ain a
right OF way for the opening Of these st reefs,
almost as expensive az the acquisition Of
the fee, the railroad having the legal right
to the land for its tracks, the committee
says that the sum of $500, 900 seems an ex-
pense which the city ought In equity to bear,
the railroad company to sustain the balance
of 124s,O 900 of the total amount offs4s 900,
as estimate ed by the engineers.
Regarding the annual rent to be charged
for the land under the two sides Of Park
avenue the committee says that the sum Of
S25OO0 seems equitable as compared with
the rental to be paid by the Pennsylvania
road.
The advantages which the city is to obtain
are summed up by the committee thus:
The abandonment OF steam az motive power
In the tunnel. he opening Of eleven new
cross streets, six at grade and the rest az a
grade no. exceeding rer cent, the relief
OF Forty-second street by he construction OF
an elevated carriage way in the st at ion above
the conoourse, the extension Of the wait
ing rooms along Forty-second street and
the elimination of al grade crossings.
On motion of the Mayor. the board
adopted the report. The report was pre-
sented after several conferences with the
railroad people and il was said that there
was no doubt of their acceptance OF the
ID, t,,,pn Q,1