Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-04-22
Tunnels FAVORED
INSTEAD OF BRIDGE
New York Commission Implies
Cost of Span TO Jersey
Is PrOhibitiye.
SUSPENSION STRUCTURE
FOOTS UP $42,0OO,O 900
Underground Passages, Report
Shows, Could Be Built for
$11,ooo,ooo.

NEW YORK. April 22.-Although
no official recommendation is in
cluded in the report. the New York
State Bridge and Tunnel Commits
sion strongly urges the construction
of tunnel rather than bridge connec-
lions between New York and ada
cent suburbs in New Jersey. The re-
port was filed yesterday by the COM
mission with the Legislature at Al
bany. The cost of two tunnels across
the Hudson is estimated at $11,OOO,OOo,
while the approximate expense OF a
suspension bridge across the Hudson
at Fifty-seventh street is placed by
expert engineers at $420OO,O0O.
The tallest bridge towers in the
world will loom over the HUDSON II
It is decided to erect the great sus-
pended roadway that is being
planned From bedrock to pinnacle
the twin towers will be 745 feet high
only 255 feet short of the height of
the Eiffel Tower. Their height over
water will be 600 feet.
The reports recapitulates the work
of planning that began in 1907 and
includes reports and estimates sub
mitted to the commission by Boiler,
Hodge & Baird, the bridge engineers,
and by Jacobs & Davies, the tunnel
engineers.
If approval is obtained from the
legislatures and the problem OF
finance are solved the bridge VIII be
finished probably by 1920. Its esti-
mated cost is S42, 100000. which takes
in the price to be paid for real estate,
engineering expenses and all other
details of the project.
Suggests Several Sites.
The New York commissioners in
form the Legislature that after care
full Investigation it was deemed prac-
tically impossible TO construct
bridge over the Hudson river below
Fiftieth street on account of the low
ground on each side of the river
and the necessary cost of long ap-
breaches. A bridge location between
Tifty-ninth street and 10th street is
not feasible because Central Park
would interfere with crosstoWn COM
munication. So the commission came
to the conclusion that the best place
to locate bridge would be between
Fifty -seventh and Fifty-eighth
streets i'm Manhattan, from Ninth
avenue to the Boulevard in Weehaw-
ken. 1t is suggested also that bridge
could be built across the Hudson
al 10th street. and that 18th street
at Fort Washington Park would be
! another excellent location.
As the plans stand now a bridge
$3.50 feet long is to be built. 1t Will
clear the river by 10 feet and will
have two driveways each thirty-six
feet wide, and two sidewalks each
eight feet wide, in addition to the
roadways for trolley cars.
System of Tunnels.
The system of tunnels to be built
in connection with improving COM
munication between New York and
. New Jersey will run between Canal
street in Manhattan and Twelfth
street in Jersey City. There are to
be twin tunnels for vehicles with
roadways seventeen feet wide. The
tunnels will cost 100000, 1t is es-
. timated.
The commission finds that there is
! an average traffic of 100000 vehi-
) eles a year between New York and
New Jersey, and that the daily week
4 day traffic is about 1860 vehicles.
The proposed tunnels would take care
I of most of this traffic and would be,
the engineers say, an immense saving
to merchants and manufacturers.
No action is expected by the Leg
! islature this year. but next year a
permitting act will be asked for.
Then the job of financing the project
. will be undertaken.