Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-05-23
BY DUKE WELLINGTON.


The proposition of the New Jersey
Interstate Bridge Commission to sad
Ole Essex County with an expense
estimated at 50 9Sl, 7S2 for the con-
ztruction of a bridge over, and twin
ErVehicular tunnels under the Hudson
River is bound to attract lot OF
attention as soon as the general public
wakes up to the fact that the subject
Is now being seriously considered.
~ The project of bridging the Hudson
.'f-between New Jersey and New YORK
has been preached many times during
14the past twenty-five years, but up TO
The present time has never succeeded
SIN getting any further than the talk
stage.
- Now New York State and city,
land at least one county in New Jer-
Eey, Bergen, are pushing the matter
sand doing all they can to arouse pun
lie sentiment in favor of the bridge,
(which it is estimated will cost
3 g42, 100000
It can be said right now that the
Essex County Board of Freeholders
r.wili not favor the proposition. True
the matter has not been officially
brought before the board yet, but
the writer has talked with enough
szzof the members to know that the
sathem at least. will have nothing 10
do with any project that calls for an
81 expense to this county of over $780,
600 unless they can see where Essex
County is going to reap some benefit
from it.
With the tunnels the proposition is
"a different one. Essex County will
favor the tunnels, for they VIII be OF
s-aIse to this county. As comparatively
few people understand just what the
1sproposition involves a brief explana-
lion may not be amiss. At the last
legislature a law was passed giving
counties contiguous TO a river the
fright to Join together in building a
bridge across 1t.
This bill was introduced by Sem
-ator Egan of Hudson County, at the
request of former Senator James A.
&C. Johnson. of Bergen County. VINO
is now counsel for the New Jersey In
terstate Bridge Commission. This
commission. appointed several years
ago to report on the ACCESSIBILITY or
xathe bridge and tunnel plan, is about
b go out of office.
With the bill passed the commission
got busy and had tentative plans out
aziined for the construction of the
p bridge and tunnels The bridge is
planned to cross the Hudson river
from a point at Tenth street, west
New York, Just above the Weehawken
line, to a point in Manhattan, between
: 1Fifty-seventh and Fifty ninth streets.
The bridge cost as outlined will be
$42, 000, coo, of which S29, 900, 900 will be
actual construction and H3, 000. 600 for
land condemnation for right of way.
And remember that the greater part
by far of this land condemnation will
be in the city of New York and that
New Jersey will reap absolutely no
benefit from it. 1t is probable that
less than 81, 100000 of the $l3, 600 600
total for land condemnation will be
spent in obtaining land on the New
Jersey side of the bridge.
The tunnels, twin affairs built sole
~ for rehicuiar traffic, are designed
to run from Henderson and Grove
streets, in Jersey City, to Canal street,
New York The cost of the tunnels
is estimated at 81 10000
This would make a total expendi-
ture for tunnels and bridge of s53 Co.,
00G of which expense the five north
ern counties of New Jersey Bergen,
Essex, Hudson, Union and Passaic,
are asked to bear half. And Essex
Eounty's share is figured at s9,9S1, S72,
or more than one-third of the proper
tion of the cost to be assessed against
the New Jersey end of the PROPOSE
tion. New York city and State will
bear one-half of the total cost.
According to the best data avail
able, New York will then have an