The New York herald., 1922-03-26
One VIII Connect Borough
Hall With Long Island
City.
M'ANENY REVEALS PLANS
Public Not to Suffer by Scrap
ping of Any Surface
Lines.


dence of the Transit Commission to a
limited extent yesterday concerning
some of the new subway construction
program which the commission prob
ably will make public soon.
George McAneny, chairman of the
commission, addressing the Brooklyn
Chamber of Commerce at luncheon,
said he thought it only fair to let that
borough in on one or two secrets about
items particularly important to Brook
lyn in the scheme for new construc-
ton, which in the aggregate for all
boroughs is to cost about $3.50, 900.
The commission. he said, will propose
the building of a new subway to con-
meet Borough Hall with Long Island
City. At that point bridge Plaza) t
will be linked with the Queens iexten-
sions now operating to Corona and AS
toria. This will provide for the first
time a direct rapid transit route be-
tween Brooklyn and important points
in Queens and will divert to the shorter
route much traffic which now is COM
PEELED TO pass over the Manhattan
tracks. with two incidental river cross
ings.
Another important project Mr.. NC
Aneny included in the prospectus is the
connection of the present Fourth avenue
CBrooklyn) line with new subway ex-
tension to Staten Island. thus realizing
the early dream of girdling all five
boroughs with rapid transit subway
lines. Plans for these and other major
operations have been practically COM
rleted by the commissions engineering
staff.
Mr.. McAneny Explains.
Mr.. McAneny also took occasion to
correct many current misapprehensons
concerning the projected reorganization
and unification of the city's railways
He said. in part:
'rhe fact the commission has i'm
view possible rerouting of the surface
lines in Brooklyn, as an incident of the
development of a reorganized operating
plan, has led apparently to a lot of mis-
understanding. The changes of routing
suggested by its consulting engineer, as
in the case of similar plan affecting
Manhattan previously put forward,
We're purely tentative and intended
merely to offer basis OF discussion.
No surface line would be discon-
unued until other facilities had been
provided to take their place-subways
Tor the long hauls and bus lines, pos
siby. for many OF the present short
hauls. Many of the surface tracks GER
tainly can be dispensed with or shifted
without loss as the new development
proceeds, but the commission had no
definite or fixed ideas about any one
of them. and IL 1t had 1t could make no
changes without the consent of their
present owners.
1T is, perhaps, not unnatural that In
the absence of full understanding OF
the purpose of the commission in pro-
senting this phase OF its plan for dis
cussion. some people should have re-
ceived wrong impressions. have
understood that in some localities meet
ings have been held, resolutions of pro-
test voted and even counsel employed
You may be assured that nothing OF
this sort is in any sense necessary.
"If changes of surface routes are
eventually determined it will be only
after new subway routes have been laid
down and thea question of short haul
bus service considered and certainly not
until the operating companies have ac-
cepted the commissions plan and ex-
pressly agreed TO whatever use of Their
properties may be proposed. Even when
that time is reached there will be an
abundance of public hearings, not only
upon the general plan itself. but upon
every detail and 1t Is extremely un-
likely that local changes of any nature
will be made where distinctly disap-
proved by local sentiment.
No New Elevated Lines.
I'm the projecting of new lines the
commission has In view subway building
only 1t does not believe in the erection
OF new elevated structures in any part
OF the built up sections of the city, nor,
for that matter does II believe that addi-
tional surface lines should be laid out
in such sections.
'',There has been misunderstanding
ebout the construction OF the elevated
section of the Fourteenth street-Eastern
District line. running through Willliems-
burgh and thence over right OF way of
the Long Island Railway-the lower
level of which will continue to be used
for freight train service-to East New
York That case does not come under
the general rule. The commission has
no option there The decision to use an
elevated structure for this section was
made when the dual contracts were
signed IN 1918.
'It Is. at least, Of Importance to Brook
lyn generally that the Fourteenth street
line be put in service at the earliest pos
sible moment; and the completion of
the elevated link will bring that badly
needed relief two years earlier than would
he possible if the y. II. T. company had.
in fact. consented to a change to subway