The San Francisco call., 1910-06-04
ELEVATED ROAD
NOW SUGGESTED
Architect Would Place Car
Tracks and FoOtpaths on
Great COIOnnade

nc COnGeSle0 COnQluOl SAlSullS dl
The foot Of Market street is something
that has long called for a remedy.
The Call has obtained the statements
which appear below from Harbor
Commissioner Stafford, Architect
Willis Polk and Thomas Magee on
the best way of solving this problem.
Suggestions from all other public
spirited citizens on the same subject
will be welcomed and printed in later
issues:
ADVOCATES ELEVATED ROAD
By THOMAS MAeEE
I am thoroughly convinced that now
is the time to take up the problem OF
Improving the foot of Market street.
The congestion OF traffic demands it
and moreover we ought to be preparing
a slightly entrance 20 the city in view
of the coming Panama exposition.
First Impressions are lasting. At pres
ent il is a poor opinion that strangers
must hold a. they emerge from the
ferry building and behold the city for
the first time. BY building an artistic
bridge at the foot Of Market street
utility and beauty both would be
served and the visitor arriving here
would al once think well of city of
people who showed such taste and en-
terprise.
san Francisco is going 10 hold the
exposition without any doubt.
The question now is how to take care
OF the tides Of traffic along East street
and up and down Market street and at
the same time beautify this point of
entrance 10 the city.
AS chairman of a committee which
matters under consideration some time
ago. gave a good deal of study to this
subject.
An elevated structure 10 carry pedes-
TRANS and streetcars is necessary. To
do this would require joint action by
both the city and the state. owing TO
the states control of the water front
tide land. The plan I favor is an elevated
loop over the site of the present tracks.
or approximately so. and rising from
the street by 4 per cent incline, be-
ginning at the east line of Spear street
From the level Of this raised platform
passengers would pass directly into
the second story Of the ferry building
and TO the upper decks of the boats.
The plan also provides for stairs to
ascend from both sides Of Market street
10 an elevated platform on the outer
side Of the outer loop, over which pc
destrianS coming down Market street
might pass over. East street and into
the ferry building at the same level as
the streetcar passengers, thus Separat-
ing these two lines of travel and re-
moving both from the interference Of
teams and the proposed crossing of the
belt railroad on the street level under
the elevated structure. At the same
time the vehicular traffic along East
street would be free from interference
from the constant succession of electric
cars, which would pass overhead on the
raised loops.
A part Of this suggestion is to widen
Market street from East to California
street on the north side and from East
10 Spear street on the south side At
present from the curbstone to the body
Of the streetcars is a distance of l6
feet, and I suggest that not less than
20 feet be added. I assume that there
would be platform six feet wide from
the body OF the streetcars on the outer
side Of the loop, and that ii would be-
gin with the ascent and continue
around the loop. This would reduce
the free roadway on either side from I6
10 10 feet, and to avoid accidents and
congestion there should be a free road
way on either side OF the street at least
80 feet wide.