New-York tribune., 1909-03-18

1e5tb s+ree+ and roth street The chief points
70 ha considered concerning each are three in
number-the financial the engineering and the
strategic or commercial. That is TO say, the
bridge should be where. other things pelng
eoual. it will cost least, where the contours OF
the shores lend themselves 10 easiest approach
and where the greatest volume Of present ana
prospective traffic will be accommodated.
bridge at 57th street would doubtless ne
most extensive of all in the acquisition OF lana
for epproaches At the same time 1t Woulu oe
the most valuable of all to traffic now ana TOT
MANY years TO come, If not for all time II
would. on the New York side tap the region
which has most need of such highway ana
II would end on the New Jersey side IN the
northern suburbs of Jersey City and Hobokeh-
The ''lay Of the land" for engineering pur-
noses is excellent on the New Jersey side. but
in New York is far less favorable. The extreme
elevation in Manhattan on that line is only
about eighty feet which is reached at Ninth
or Columbus avenue With clear height OF
100 feet above the river therefore, the eastern
anproach of the bridge would have TO rise at q
nrettv steep grade even if II began as far east
as Columbus Circle. At 10th street the en-
gneering conditions would be much more favor
able for in Mania ttan there is an elevation OF
nearly 100 feet at Eleventh avenue, only one
block from the river, and there Is greater ele-
vatiOn Of the New Jersey shore still nearer the
water. But ii IS obvious that bridge from the
upper end Of Central Park 70 the village Of Edge
water would not be in the direct course OF the
greatest traffic At 135th street engineering
conditions are perhaps, as favorable as at
10th street but a span from Manhattanville
10 Tillietudlum. even with Ridgefield and Little
Ferry in the western background, would scarce
" seem a great metropolitan thoroughfare
Finally there is 1T9th street, where the mar
rowness Of the river and the abrupt elevation
Of both shores make engineering conditions the
best of all. Yet a span from Fort Washington
to Fort Lee would certainly seem suburban
rather than metropolitan, and even the advan-
tage of being practically continuous with the
splendid but little used Washington Bridge and
with the Henry Hudson Bridge which may
some time be built could scarcely assure to
such bridge traffic which would be anywhere
nearly comparable with its cost A bridge at
1T9th street might be useful to automobsts
and few Others as link between the parkway
and boulevard system Of New Jersey and that
of New York City and the Albany and Boston
post roads and the prospective Bronx Parkway,
but that Is about all that Is to he said in its
favor
If we are 70 assume that the lack Of eleva-
tion at Saith street, which IS only forty feet
at Ninth avenue and at 42d street which Is
only forty feet at Eighth avenue, makes those
sites impracticable then doubtless the 5Ttb
street and the 179th street sites are best worth
considering. But Of these It must frankly be
said that the former. where a bridge would he
Of much utility, seems to be forbidden BY It's
enormous cost while the latter. where the cost
would probably he reasonable, IS dscredited
because Of its lack of practical utility.