Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1916-01-10
Improvements Urgently Nee ded
in Order to Relieve Conges-
ton, Report Says.
COSTLY NOW, BUT SOON
WILL BE PROHlBlTlVE
Urges Adjustment of Center
Market in Favor of Wholesale
and Retail Markets.


a series of reports made public by
the City Plan Commission today. The
commission has labored for three and
half years and its findings are the
result of the Investigations of George
B. Ford and Ernest =. Goodrich,
engineers who have made a study of
municipal conditions throughout the
country.
An exhaustive plan of street widen
ing to meet the present congestion,
rerouting the trolleys, traffic regua-
tions the use of Port Newark Termi-
nal and the disposition of the present
Center Market are gone into fully by
the commission.
Discussing its general plan for street
widening, the commission admits that
ii will be costly, but declares that as
the years pass, the necessity becomes
more apparent and that if the scheme
is delayed for any length of time the
cost will become prohibitive. OF the
report itself the commission says:
There are few, IL any, legal OBJ
StacleS to the execution of this plan.
If our premises are sound the plan,
based upon them, is worthy of serious
consideration: and, if found on further
study to be also sound, it must be
followed if the standing of Newark
is to be maintained and improved
Essential improvements.
Among the Improvements declared
to be essential for the congestion in
the business district, the commission
urges the extension of Central ave-
nue. from Broad street to Market
street: the Strengthening of Washing
al CT aYlyo OF ctr 2<rfn
of Frelinghuysen avenue to Clinton
avenue, widening of Lafayette street
from Broad street to Mulberry street,
and the widening of Mulberry street.
1t is urged that the Central ave-
nue. extension is of SO much import
ance that it's beginning should not
be delayed II will afford direct COM
munication between the north ana
southeast sections of the city. 1t will
open for better business development
the section between Broad street and
Market street. Center street and the
Passaic river, now but partly de-
veloped.
Many reasons, the report says, have
been given for the development of
Washington street as the logical
thoroughfare upon which to accommo-
date some of the traffic which now
overcrowds Broad street.
The connection with Frelinghuysen
avenue will create the best and most
direct crosstown street in Newark,
with connections at either end to the
largest neighbor cities. In the widen
ing of Washington street the report
suggests that all buildings to be
erected for the next twenty years be
SO far set back from the present.
building line as to leave a street 100
feet wide. At the expiration of twen-
ty years the old buildings standing
should be moved back. At the very
beginning, however the report Sug-
gests that there should be a direct
crossing at Market street, and this
would widen the street naturally at
this point.
The continuation of Frelinghuysen
avenue is urged for both economic
and aesthetic reasons. Where the ave-
avenue would meet Washington street
there would be a curved thoroughfarc
for distance of a block or more, and
this, it is said, would make a very
attractive appearance.
Lafayette Street
OF the Lafayette street widening the
report says:
"All our traffic studies show that the
growth of the city is largely to the
L..
ment of the meadow area the ten
dency to the south will increase. The
proposed extension of Central avenue
has for a chief object the relief of
Market street on the north With the
ever increasing volume of traffic and
business i'm and toward the SOUTH
relief for Market stret will be needed
in that direction. William and Fafay-
cite streets, if connected as proposed
will form the crosstown thoroughfare
upon which we may expect this in
crease to be found.
The commission urges the making
of a number of wide crosstown streets
at certain intervals.
EIwood Avenue Bridge.
"North of Park avenue there should
be at least two more such streets.
"Elwood avenue, for instance,
should be made l crosstown street
with a bridge to Kearny
Arlington avenue could well be eX-l
tended across Branch Brook Park tQ
the city line.
Fourth avenue should be extended
to the park.
Central avenue, fine type of east
and west street, as the illustration
shows, should be widened from High
street to Broad.
eighteenth avenue should be eX-
tended through Vailsburg to the city
line and connected at its eastern end
with South street.
Lyons avenue is well equipped to
meet future dc -nands, but Hawthorne
avenue and Chancellor avenue should
be extended to meet large thorough
fares in the meadow district.
In addition to these several minor
street changes are suggested. Fhese
include the widening of q number OF
blocks where crosstown and inter-
urban traffic is thickest.
The report treats very briefly OF
the jitney traffic, but says that New
ark must carefully consider this new
means of transportation. The husi-
ness, district, formerly too congested
to permit certain trolley traffic, ad-
verse conditions will become more
evident as the auto bus increases in
number.
Terminal to Help.
of the trolley congestion. the re-
port says that the new terminal VIII
solve many of the problems, but II
the suggested improvements III Ahe
city's center be made, it Will be
obvious that lines from the north
and south will find ample aceommo-
dation in Mulberry, Broad and Null
berry streets and east and vest Cen
tral avenue, Market and william and
Lafayette streets will afford ample
recommendation and serious transit
sConsiasas1a -, Rage H. Column "a