Palisadian., 1925-07-24
MORE HUDSON RIVER TUNNELS TALK
IN CONNECTION WITH The PROPOSED.
new SUBWAY ROUTES IN new YORK
S. Leonard Hoffman, Student of Transportation Problems
Says He Believes in Through Trafic-Plan of Engle-
wood Engineer Would Require Legislation both at
Trenton and Albany-Would Cost New Jersey About
S5OOOO

Mention of New Jersey was only
incidental, casual and entirely unim-
portant at the hearing in the New
York city hall last week ON plans for
big trunk subway through the
Bronx and Manhattan, with spurs into
Hudson county and Long Island as
adjuncts. The hearing was held by
the Suburban Transit Commission
created by the New York legislature.
One of the speakers at the meeting,
S. Leonard Hoffman, who claims to
be student of transportation prob
lens in the metropolis, suggested
two tunnels from Hudson county. One
was to carry the Central Railroad of
New Jersey from Communipaw to the
Battery in Manhattan to connect with
existing subways near by, and the
other would carry Erie and Lacka-
wanna passengers to a point further
up town, where connections would be
made with the proposed new West
chester-Battery subway. New Jersey
interests would have to finance the
connections without help from New
York.
'I believe in through traffic" said
Mr.. Hoffman, land | think the city
should spend without reserve at the
present time for comprehensive sub
ways.
Il further think if people want to
live outside. New York and commute
into the city to make their living
Oh ho ixy;l
Representatives of several civic
business associations favored spurs
into New Jersey and into Long Island
as matter of business. James w.
Donahey of the Eighth Avenue AS
sociation opposed the plan for the
Westchester subway along Madison
avenue. This thoroughfaI he said,
is already congested and the subway
should run along Eighth avenue. The
New Jersey connection he suggested
was from Hudson street, New York,
across the river to Jersey City. He
wanted also the Long Island spur.
James A. Mccarthy, representing
the Fifth Avenue Association, said
his people wanted spurs into New
Jersey and Long Island, no matter
what plan was favored for the mid
rib subway. The organizations these
men spoke for are interested in at
tracting all the business possible into
their districts.
Plan by Englewood Engineer
George LeBoutillier, vice president
of the Long Island railroad, said his
company could operate more through
trains if relieved of short haul busi-
ness, especially that between Jamai-
ca and Manhattan. His company
would welcome any plan to pick up
this intra-city traffic, but was opposed
to any line which would compete with
it as a strictly Suburban" road. The
plan he favored was to have only one
stop, at Woodside, between Manhat-
tan and Jamaica.
State Senator j. G. Webb, chair
man of the commission, said the
Westchester-Battery plan probably
would be the first the committee
would recommend for construction.
The hearings are to deal with the
route and the engineering questions
to be considered.
The plan in general is that ad-
vanced by John G. Agar, chairman OF
the Westchester County Transit Com
mission. 1t was designed by Henry
M. Brickerhoff of Englewood, associ-
ate in the engineering firm headed by
General William Barclay Parsons,
who built the first subway in New
York city.
Mr.. Agar's plan will require legis-
1ation at Albany before it can be un-
dertaken. His idea is to build the
subway in New York without cost to
that city. The money required, es-
timated at $1OO,OOO,O0O or more.
would be raised by Westchester coun-
ty. The money for the suggested
New Jersey connection would have to
be raised in this state, estimated at
about $5O,OO0,000.