New-York tribune., 1902-12-27


gestion made by the Citizens East Side I'm
provement Association, can be made by VIA
| duct over the railroad yard, and will be OF
great benefit to both the railroad companies ano
to the city, since it will furnish new northery
thoroughfare into the station, greatly faciltat-
ing the passengers OF the road who come from
the north by carrying a large part Of ali the
vehicle travel to the northward, thus relieving
the neighboring crowded avenues Park-aVe
below Fifty-sixth-st. is now used comparatively
little, and il can be made of substantial use
TO the city by giving it direct connection with
the Grand Central Station. This suggestion
seems to us to be most important contribution
TO the best solution Of this problem, and, we
think, it should be insisted upon. A single via
duct. and not double one, seems, however to
be all that is needed. It should be sixty feet in
width
The depression proposed by the railroads, re-
sulting in the maximum grade of per cent on
both ends of only one of the eleven streets. and
on one end of four others, involves a depression
of the he'd of the railway of 10 feet inches at
Forty -ninth-St and of Z feet o inches at the
head of the transhed Passengers will thus
enter and leave the trains at level J. feet
below that of the present waiting room of the
station, and pass from one level TO the other
by easy inclined plane, which is placed at a
10 per cent grade. and which does not take out
of train use too much of the trainshed to pre-
vent the rear cars of the long express trains
from entering the shed. To depress the tracks
further and sufficiently to make the bridges at
Forty-fifth, Forty-siXth, Forty seventh, Forty
eighth and Forty-ninth SITS. at the 212 per
cent grade, means a further depression in the
station, not OF feet inches as stated by
those who propose it, but of feet, a cor
respondingly increased burden to the travelling
public, and such shortening of the train space
in the shed as would no longer permit the rear
of long trains TO enter it.
The slight advantage of reducing the grade
of these cross streets does not seem to be worth
the great cost Of money nor the increased per-
rnanent inconvenience to the fifty thousand or
more people who daily use the railroad
Coupled with the proposal of the railroad COM
panies to improve the yard and station at Forty
second-st., is acceptable proposition to elini-
nate the grade crossings of the Spuyten Duyvil
and Port Morris branch, at High Bridge, Ford
ham Heights. Morris Heights and Kingsbridge.
In the case of the three first named. the COM
panies propose to build the necessary bridges
and abutments at their own expense, the city to
bring the roads or streets up to the property
Of the railroad compary
CITYs PART OF THE EXPENSE.
The city's part of this work could be done
without great expense, and it is an expense
which fairly, properly and lawfully falls upon
the city.
At Kingsbridge two different plans are sub
mitted-one for the elimination of the existing
grade crossings by carrying the streets over
the railroad tracks at their present grade, the
companies agreeing to build all. necessary
bridges for these crossings at their own expense;
the other plan would provide the necessary
land for new right OF way along the northerly
side Of the Harlem River Ship Canal, the prop
erty now occupied by the railroad company to be
conveyed to the city for a nominal considera-
ton, the railroad company to remove it's tracks
from the present right of way, and relay them
on the new right of way, building the neces-
right of way can be readily adapted to use as a
public street, and this solution of the problem
will forever do away with the necessity for
carrying the streets in kingsbridge over the
railroad tracks and thus remove the serious
barrier which for years has cut off from all
other parts Of the city the territory known as
Marble Hill.
With reference to the recommendation to re-
store thoroughfares the cross streets between |
Forty-fifth and Fifty-sixth sts the report says:
Substantially the city is without streets cross
ing the railroads through this territory, and if
there were no restriction against the city pro- |
ceeGlng at once TO open and pave streets in the |
ordinary course through this territory, it would
have to face two items of expensa-the expense
Of constructing and paving ordinary street |
upon the surface of the ground. and the ex- |
pense of acquiring title to the land wherever |
the city does not now possess such title.
THE ESTIMATE 100000
An estimate of the cost OF these two items of |
acquiring the necessary land and of the neces- |
Sary expense to construct and pave ordinary |
streets across Park-ave at the points where these
bridges are to be located, has led your commit |
tee to estimate that such cost may fairly be |
at the sum of 100000 This sum !
being an expense which the city would neces-
sarily sustain in opening and improving streets |
seems to us an expense which the city ought |
in equity to bear in connection with this I'M |
provement.
The proposed Park-ave. viaduct must go over
land practically owned by the railroad COM
oanies, and we recommend, in line with the rec
tionS as to the other bridges and via
ducts. that the railroad companies be asked to
contribute the land or right of way, and that the
city construct the yiaduct. The cost to the
,ity, including the additional width the Forty
dfth-st viaduct, estimated at $4,000 alto
gether, would not be greater than its ordinary
expense in opening and constructing such a
street.
The fee value of the surface of streets not now
owned by the railroad companies. the use of
which it was supposed by the engineers would |
be wanted by it, amounting to the sum of
slS6,O00, and the value Of the vault space under |
the SIDEWALKS at different points around the
1ard, reckoned at S132.226, should be eliminated |
from the reckoning. The streets considered by
the engineers are streets which be fully |
opened for free passage by the bridges and via
lucts referred to above, and the surface of them |
s thus not to be used by the railroad companies |
The vault space under the sidewalks at different
points around the yard we recommend should |
aot be granted in this connection. Such vault
spaces, 1t will be noted. are chiefly upon Lexing-
-on-aVe.. and the committee thinks IL unwise to |
run the risk of interfering with the construc-
ion of East Side tunnel under this avenue !
oy the Rapid Transit Railroad Commission by |
grant OF vault privileges in that avenue to |
-hese railroad companies. SO far as such vault
spaces are upon other streets than Lexington
spaces affect the station building and not the
that the subject be dealt with under
the city ordinances. which provide for COM
oensauon and for revocable licenses.
TO HAVE ADDITIONAL SPACE THERE.
The company is to have additional space under
the east and west roadways of Parl1-ave-, '-the
annual rent OF which was stated by the engi-
neers according to the methods OF computation
this year applied, at S56.12 the capital value
being stated at S1.403. 125." The committee
thinks this would be an excessive rental and
Of the general plan says:
In order to do this work credftably the COM
pany is proposing to make an expenditure of
about S25,OO0,00O, and when the expenditure is
made 1t viii have the same entrance and fran
chise which IL had before, and all that ii will
have in addition will be a yard and terminal of
yAfs |