New-York tribune., 1912-12-31
MODERN ROADWAYS FOR
PARKS, PLAN FOR 1918
Continued from first page.

x.sn removed uo"H " 'ii0 ''"ii
- new road there still remained d
"a, depth of we'll compacted gravel
Telford foundation, l considered
N ,nportant to lay a concrete foun-
.,,ion which. indeed is the foundation
,.n good road building. This founda-
.,or doubtless will stand here in Cen
- park. where there is little or no
"A of the excavation so constant
our streets. for an indefinite time;
rright almost say forever. Then, on
- If the concrete foundation is laid
..aoring surface Of rock asphalt, which
,aems TO be perfectly adapted to the
,ratic of Central Park.
Another Of the five sample roads laid
4, 1911 in Central Park consists of a
,;tpminous wearing surface, mixed
9Th trap rock screenings and laid upon
concrete foundation. Such a road
,sonewhat harder than the rock as
,halt laid on the West Drive of Central
park seems to be the road we shouls
select for Riverside Drive. where traffic
is more severe.
am very eager to rebuild Riverside
nriye as far north as the Viaduct, in
order also that we may establish a bet
fer curb line and build better curbs and
sutters. Indeed. in some portions ol
this drive where the westerly gutter
Is very much lower than the easterlN
a-1s il
inevitable on the west side of the drive,
travelling is positively dangerous.
In the year 1912 the department has
almost completed. under contract
amounting to $1,000. work on the
Harlem Speedway bulkhead, which,
built about fifteen years ago and con-
slsting OF wooden cribs. has. in the
course Of the last two years, fallen at
several points into the Harlem River,
oefacing the waterfront and the Speed
way and making traffic there danger
GUS In rebuilding a section nearly
1900 feet long the department has re-
sorted 10 reinforced concrete, and
trust that in the corporate stock budget
now under consideration an appropria-
ton Of $4,000 will be allowed for an
other 1000 feet of new concrete bulk
head.
But more than new bulkhead should
be built The Speedway Itself is as in
adequate as the timber bulkhead. THIS
fine driveway along the picturesque
front of High Bridge Park land be-
Meath the magnificent arches OF the
stone and iron bridges over the Harlem
River) was laid out before the auto
mobile arrived, and at the present time
one may visit the Speedway almost any
DAY and find it quite deserted. Public
opinion generally favors the opening OF
this roadway for general parkway uses,
and in the year 1913 the first step VIII
be taken toward this transformation of
the Speedway. / think, however, that
certain portion of the Speedway
where its width is 100 feet may be set
apart still for fast driving; but in the
main. the Harlem River Speedway
should be rebuilt on concrete founda-
tons in the same manner as above
outlined for Riverside Drive.
The spring of 1913 will see some
notable tree planting in this borough.
In 1872 the Park Department improved
two parkways-One on the lower East
Side, in Delaney street, between the
Bowery and the Williamsburg Bridge,
where two striking rows of Lombardy
poplars were planted and also beautiful
gardens, and the other in the upper
section of the borough, on Seventh
avenue, from Central Park 10 the Har-
lem River. where a single row of Orien-
tai planes are now flourishing. and
where the Park Department is now en-
gagged in further improvement of more
than forty parkway plots by the CON-
struction Of fence, within which, dur
ing the coming spring, shrubbery is TO
be planted.
Upper Broadway from the Manhat-
tan viaduct, at 135th street, to 18th
street has remained bare since the
completion of the subway. but appro-
priations recently allowed assure the
planting of this parkway in the spring
Of 1919 with double row Of specimen
pin oak trees, and the planting will
be specimen planting.
The department can point with pride,
think, TO such specimen tree plant
ing on our highways as may now be