The New York herald., 1922-12-26
The North River Bridge.
Its Designer Tells How 1t Would
Help the Terminal Problem.

To THE NEW YORK HERALD: The
backwardness Of railroad terminals In
and around New York is a chronic evil
of long standing. The Investigations
reports, plans and discussions on this
important subject for the last thirty
years occupy very extensive shelf room.
New York city is. however not the
only American city suffering from that
evil There is not large city in the
country which has sufficient railroad
terminals.
More progress would be made with
this important phase of transportation
could be procured at lower rates of in
terest than now prevail. Interest on
capital for such purposes was even be-
fore the war much higher in America
than for similar improvements in Eng
land and on the European continent.
To this difficulty must be added the
great increase in wages and In prices
Of building materia.. IN taxes and in
right of way making the total cost OF
construction several times greater than
before the war. Unless the plans can
overcome these handicaps through great
economy from unified operation the
terminals cannot OF course be built. no
matter how much public pressure and
clamot may be brought to bear on the
subject.
With the above exploration it will
rot be difficult to understand the hesi-
tation of the railroads terminating In
New York city to commit themselves to
vast amounts for improved terminals.
= 1t Is no secret that as regards rail-
road and passenger freight terminals in
Manhattan extensive studies and plans
have been made I'm connection with the
Hudson River bridge to be built In the
neighborhood of Fifty-seventh street. 1t
is one of the great economies OF this
big bridge that lane for lane of highway
and track for track for. railroad the
cost Is only one-half the cost Of equiv
a!ent tunnels under the river.
The bridge must have twenty lanes
for highway traffic on the upper deck
and twelve railroad tracks on the lower
deck for rapid transit and railroad
traffic barely to accommodate the grow
ing cross river traffic in 1880.
Extensive and minute studies have
been made to distribute the traffic to
and from the bridge without causing
congestion. 1t certainly can be done.
The estimates OF cost show that the big
bridge presents the cheapest solution for
every kind OF cross river traffic, includ-
ing the freight terminal problem for
Manhattan. When the plans will be
presented they win also be found to solve
the so-called Death avenue problem for
the New York Central Railroad In a
way that should make them very ac-
ceptable In lower Manhattan and also
TO residents along Riverside Park.
The terminals are so contrived as
absolutely to relieve tho congestion on
West street for good and all. and admit
OF the lowest cost of operation and dis
tribution. II would take too much space
here to go into description OF these
plans. Suffice II to say that they were
formulated after consultation with the
engineering authorities of the nine rail-
roads In New Jersey and the three rail-
roads on the New York side; that a
series Of long conferences and discus
sions accompanied the working out of
these plars, to which all railroads con-
tributed facts, criticisms and discus
slons.
1t is the only plan for the west side
of Manhattan which has received such
comprehensive treatment. The plan for