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REAL ESTATE
AND
^^ BUILDERS
NEW YORK, AUGUST 14, 1915
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I CITIZENS' PLAN FOR WEST SIDE TRACKS
The Comptroller Gets Estimates of the Cost of Building a
Tunnel and Removing Tracks From the Waterfront Altogether
Klillill
AT last the city has a plan for the
proposed West Side track improve¬
ments which are to come within the
scope of the general reorganization of
the freighting facilities of Manhattan
Island.
The nature of the changes to be made
south of 72d street to St. John's Park
have been pretty well settled upon
between the city and the New York
Central Railway Company so that not
The Bolton plan, in a word, provides
for taking the railroad tracks away
from the river edge altogether and put¬
ting them in a tunnel. It would give
the railroad company an open freight
yard at Manhattanville, but locate it west
of the tracks, designating for this pur¬
pose several city blocks.
The Main Question.
In the Comptroller's view the main
question is: What will a tunnel line
after the Bolton plan cost? This week's
the Dock Department and the New
York Central's engineers, all based on
the Bolton plans, were submitted. Mr.
Bolton's own estimate was $16,114,400
for a four-track road in a tunnel from
72nd street to lS3d, directly under River¬
side Drive, about eighty feet below the
surface.
The portion of the line north of 72d
street is where the presence of tracks
on the waterfront is most objectionable
in the view of citizens. From 72d street
CROSS SECTION OF DOCK DEPARTMENT'S PLAN.
Provides for covering over present railroad tracks along Riverside
Park, between 72d and 129th streets.
THE PLAN FAVORED BY CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS.
Provides for building a tunnel for the railroad tracks under River¬
side Drive, leaving waterfront clear.
only will the tracks be removed from
grade but provision made for the erec¬
tion of large terminal facilities, includ¬
ing warehouses for the various railroads,
and public markets and piers.
The general plan would have gone
through two years ago but for a dis¬
agreement between real estate interests
and the railroad company over the
latter's plans for a large classification
freight yard along the river shore
at Manhattanville paralleling Riverside
Drive. Citizens' associations objected
vigorously to having the freight yard
there and to the cutting oflf of the water¬
front for use by general marine traffic.
"We tried to get as rnuch as we
could," admitted Vice President Ira
Place at a hearing in Comptroller
Prendergast's office on Wednesday
morning of this week.
Under special consideration at that
time was a plan prepared by Reginald
Pelham Bolton, C. E., and submitted by
the Committee of Civic Organizations
(fourteen in all) of which the Rev. Dr.
Peters of St. Michael's Church, Bioom¬
ingdale, is chairman. The plan covers
only that part of the line lying between
72d street and Spuyten Duyvil, and par¬
ticularly between 72d and 153d street.
No objection has so far been raised by
real estate interests to the report and
recommendations of the Board of Esti¬
mate's Terminal Committee of two
years ago (of which Mayor Mitchel was
chairman) for the relocation of the
tracks south of 60th street.
hearing was called for the purpose of
discovering the answer. If it is going to
cost too much, the Comptroller said,
that will be the end of it. Some other
plan will then be adopted.
No More Delay.
"Let it be fully understood," said Mr.
Prendergast, "this committee is going to
make a report. We have called you
gentlemen into council to help us in ar-
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Two-decked railroad under Riverside Viaduct
at Manhattanville.
riving at a decision. In our opinion the
question of cost is the most important
at this stage. We want to know what
the Bolton plan will cost to execute.
Engineer Bolton had not calculated this
at the last meeting. When we know
the cost we shall be able to take a fur¬
ther step."
Estimates by the Citizens' Committee,
to 129th the railroad cuts through River¬
side Park, cuts ofif free access by the
public to the water's edge, and keeps the
West End Association in fear that some
day the company will somehow get pos¬
session of the waterfront of the park
and convert it for commercial pur¬
poses.
From 129th street north to Fort
Washington park the waterfront is in¬
tended for and devoted to commercial
purposes, wherever accessible, but the
railroad takes a great deal of space
which the citizens' committee believes
should be left free by the railroad for
the use of river traffic.
The Dock Department's estimate of
the cost of constructing a tunnel for a
four-track road between 72d and 153d
street was found to be $20,323,575, and
the railroad company's engineers esti¬
mated the cost at $25,872,130.
The citizens' contention is that a four-
track line should be the basis of the
negotiations. The railroad officers, how¬
ever, say they would not consider a four-
track road or even a si.x-track tunnel line
unless it had useful appendages in the
way of freight yards, switches and pas¬
senger stations.
Interrogations by Counselor Charles
L. Craig of the West End Association,
Counselor Julius Henry Cohen of the
Citizens' Union, and Mr. Bard of the
Municipal Art Society put in various
ways, as to what the railroad company
really wanted, failed to touch the spring
of knowledge within the mind of the