New-York tribune., 1922-08-01
w WIlalen Plans
4th and Biggest
East River Span
Urges Site Between 23d ST.
and williamsburg Bridge
With 3 Spurs Radiating
From the Brooklyn End
Can't Estimate Cost Vet
Will Ask Mayor to Call the
Board When Details Are
Ready; Craig to Fight IL

A bridge larger than any one of the
three now spanning the East River
from lower Manhattan to Brooklyn, to
be located somewhere between the Will
liamsburg Bridge and Twenty-third
Street, with three large spurs radiating
from the Brooklyn end, to Greenpoint,
TO Williamsburg and to Metropolitan
route to Jamaica, is the plan Grover
A. Whalen, Commissioner of Plant and
Structures, intends to present to the
Board of Estimate as soon as it can
be worked out.
Commissioner Whalen said yesterday
that he already had engineers of his
department making surveys along both
sides of the East River to determine
the best site for the new bridge, and
real estate appraisers at work on the
estimates on property that may be re-
quired for the terminals. In about two
weeks, according to the Comm ssioner
he expects to have the preliminary
plans prepared to submit to the Board
of Estimate. He will ask Mayor
Hylan to call special meeting Of the
board to consider the project. No real
estimate of the cost of the new struc-
ture could be madc at this time, he
said.
Insists Old Span Is Safe
AS far as Brooklyn Bridge is con-
cerned, the Commissioner declared that
nothing could be done toward its re-
structed. He repeated that it was per-
fectly safe to use Brooklyn Bridge,
with proper regulation of traffic, until
8 new bridge was completed. Commits
sioner Whalen said he did not approve
of the suggestion made in the plans
drawn Some years ago by Gustav Lin
denthal, the bridge engineer, that
Brooklyn Bridge might be closed on
one side while the other side was being
rebuilt.
The Commissioner declared that in
his opinion it would be contrary to
public safety to allow any one on the
old bridge while the engineers were
handling and restrengthening the
cables, including those which had
slipped slightly from their saddles atop
the west tower. He said when it came
to rebuilding Brooklyn Bridge it
should be closed to all traffic, and the
original cables so strengthened as to
hold at least an additional roadway, If
not two new roadways.
Mr.. Whalen denied the report that he
had said the proposed new bridge
should be located between East Twen
ty-third Street and Greenpoint. What
he did say, he asserted, was that it
should be located somewhere between
the Williamsburg Bridge and Awenty-
third Street.
Craig Opposes New Bridge
When the commissioner of Plant
and Structures brings his project be-
fore the Board of Estimate, he will not
find all of the members in favor Of
building new bridge. 1t was learned
yesterday that Comptroller Craig, the
most influential member of the board
his approval to the project. 1t is un-
derstood that the Comptroller merely
favors the rebuilding and enlarging OF
the Brooklyn Bridge at this time.
Borough President of Manhattan
Julius Miller declared himself yester-
day in favor of q new bridge between
Greenpoint and the neighborhood of
Twenty third Street. The growth of
the city in the last few years war
ranted new bridge, Mr. Miller
said, even if the recent slipping of the
cables ON the Brooklyn Bridge had not
pointed out the danger of burdening
that structure with any greater weight
VIII Consider Tube Also
While the Borough President said
he was not committed definitely to any
one site FOR the new bridge until the
plans now being prepared by the engi-
neers Of the Department of Plant and
Structures had received the full con-
sideration of the Board of Estimate,
he declared that it would not be many
weeks before definite announcement
as to the location and engineering fea-
lures of the new structure would, in
all probability, have been decided on.
The possibility that a vehicular tunnel
might be more useful than bridge,
in view of the narrowness of the East
River and the consequent lessening
of the ventilating difficulties met with
in the North River tunnels, was also
suggested by the Borough President.
. The Board of Estimate, of which he
is a member, would want to know the
advantages and disadvantages of every
available scheme, he said, before tax
ing any definite action on the matter.