VITAL GAPS IN NEW YORK METROPOLITAN ARTERIES r SEYMOUR DURST When you leave, please leave this book Because it has been said "Ever'tbing comes t' bim who waits Except a loaned book." VITAL GAPS IN NEW YORK METROPOLITAN ARTERIES NOVEMBER 11 , 1940 office AA 7^3 ROUTES OF THE FOUR PROPOSED PROJECTS TO FILL VITAL GAPS IN NEW YORK METROPOLITAN ARTERIES TRIBOROUGH BRIDGE AUTHORITY RANDALL'S ISLAND NEW YORK, N. Y. Telephone LEhigh 4— 5800 PAUL LOESER GENERAL MANAGER AND SECRETARY MEMBERS: ROBERT MOSES. Chairman GEORGE V. MCLAUGHLIN. VICE-CHAIRMAN RODERICK STEPHENS, VICE-CHAIRMAN November 11, 1940 Hon. Fiorello H. LaGuardia Mayor of the City of New York City Hall New York, N. Y. Dear Sir: At your request, I am submitting a program to aid national defense by filling vital gaps in the present system of New York metropolitan vehicular arteries . Much has been said recently about military roads, particularly the autobahnen in Germany. German government engineers came to this country while studying preliminary plans for their autobahn system and we showed them what had been done here. I have examined the reports on the completed work and have the observation of engineers who have studied them abroad. The engineering design principles used in the autobahn system were in a large measure copied from the work done in the New York area. They are express highways built to avoid the old roads which are congested by every-day travel. The most important lesson to be learned from them is not their sweeping curves and easy grades but the fundamental principle which dictated their location. While the network bypasses cities, outlets were provided from the centers of in- dustrial and densely populated communities. The system went into the cores of cities and did not simply skim the edges. There is a school of thought which holds that the outer edges of cities should be first connected by superhighways. An example of this is the so-called new Pennsylvania Turnpike, an express highway recently completed between Irwin about eleven miles outside of Pittsburgh and Middlesex about sixteen miles from Harrisburg. It is reported that another section is to be built to Philadelphia. The traffic which uses it must still find its way into these cities and wind its [ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014 https://archive.org/details/vitalgapsinnewyoOOtrib way through congested streets after it leaves the superhighway in the open country. The vitally necessary urban connections have not been constructed. The emergency highway transportation problem is not to make travel on the open road more comfortable but to widen the bottlenecks in strategically located cities where motor travel on narrow and congested streets has increased faster than pavement and other traffic facilities to accommodate it. Our arterial highways already built, under construction, or scheduled for early construction will meet normal demands, but we have learned from, the European war that motor traffic arteries designed for peace-time use cannot ab- sorb the added burden of mass military maneuvers and transportation of defense material by truck. The seven and one-third million people who live in New York and travel around in it, not to speak of those in the suburbs, cannot be evacu- ated during military defense movements. They must be fed and their food must be hauled over the roads within the City. If the streets are to be kept open for the inhabitants to survive, they cannot be commandeered for military use and de- fense transportation without disaster. It is evident from the large-scale production of machines for military defense that emphasis is being placed upon motorized military equipment. If pon- derous units of mobile war-machines must come into New York or move around within the City there are vital gaps in the arterial system which should be filled im- mediately as aids to the national defense. These vital gaps would form links in the present traffic system and connect with arteries which were completed since the last war at a cost of more than half a billion dollars. The Holland and Lincoln Tunnels and George Washington and Staten Island bridges of the Port of New York Authority; and the Triborough, Henry Hudson, Whitestone, Marine and Cross Bay bridges of the Triborough Bridge Authority are part of this system. The west side of Manhattan is open for almost its full length and the East Side Highway has been far advanced. The Grand Cen- tral, Interboro and Whitestone parkways, and the Cross Island, Southern, and Shore parkways of the Belt System form a network in Queens and Brooklyn. The Henry Hudson Parkway is a new link in the Bronx. Mixed traffic routes such as Grand Concourse Extension, Union Turnpike, the improvement of Queens Boulevard and many other street widening and express highway projects have been built or ex- panded to keep pace with increasing traffic loads. In Westchester, the Bronx River, Saw Mill River, Cross County and Hutchinson River parkways join the Eastern State Parkway leading into upper New York and the Merritt Parkway into Connecticut. The Northern, Southern, Wantagh, Jones Beach, Meadowbrook and Ocean parkways on Long Island fit into the system. Arterial highways in New Jersey place prime importance on the relief of traffic through congested communities. Major traffic projects now under actual construction in the New York area include the Hutchinson River Parkway Extension through the Bronx, the widening and improvement of the Saw Mill River and Cross County parkways in West- chester County, the Gowanus Parkway, the Atlantic Avenue improvement and the Emmons Avenue bypass on the Belt System in Brooklyn, the reconstruction of Cross Bay Boulevard over Jamaica Bay, the connecting highways to the new 38th Street Tunnel and Rockaway improvement in Queens, and the extension of the East River Drive in Manhattan. The vehicular tunnel under the East River at 38th Street will be opened shortly and the new tunnel from the Battery to Brooklyn is under way. Projects for which plans have been completed and which are scheduled to be constructed include Bronx River Parkway - Southerly Extension to Eastern Boulevard, Mosholu Parkway, and the further widening of Eastern Boulevard in the Bronx, the north end of the Queens Connecting Highway, and the extension of Francis Lewis Boulevard in Queens. There are four vital gaps in the present network which should be filled immediately: 1. PELHAM-PORTCHESTER EXPRESS HIGHWAY Construction of this route will relieve congestion on the Boston Post Road and the Hutchinson River Parkway, leading to New England. The Boston Post Road is the most congested mixed traffic route from New York City to the north and east and is located through the main business sections of the City of New Rochelle and the Villages of Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Rye and Portchester. The Hutchin- son River Parkway is the most over-crowded artery limited to pleasure vehicles in Westchester County. The new route is approximately 15 miles long and parallels the New Haven Railroad. It joins the Boston Post Road at the Connecticut State line near the Merritt Parkway on the north and with Eastern Boulevard and the new Hutchinson River Parkway Extension which form corridors to the Triborough, White- stone, and other bridges to the south. The express highway for mixed traffic should be built for three lanes in each direction with grade crossings eliminated by 49 bridges and 5 viaducts. More than 75% of the right-of-way has already been acquired by West- chester County, representing a cost of approximately $5,850,000. The additional land required is estimated at $1,900,000 in Westchester County and the right-of way in New York City lies wholely within Pelham Bay Park. The cost of construction of this artery is estimated at $14,400,000. 2. BROOKLYN-QUEENS CONNECTING HIGHWAY With the completion of through arteries under construction in Brooklyn and Queens, more traffic will be funneled into the Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges than the streets tapping these bridge heads can carry. The present streets are narrow and congested with crossings at every block. The crazy-quilt pattern of the streets inherited from the villages which grew together to form the present borough adds to the difficulty of travel. The bottleneck at the Brooklyn approaches to the lower East River bridges can be relieved by constructing an artery from the Queens Connecting Highway and Meeker Avenue southerly by widening Union Avenue, run- ning through the block between Penn and Rut ledge Streets and widening Park Avenue. This will also provide an arterial connection to the highway and parkway system on Long Island and the northerly East River bridges. It will join the Borden Avenue connection to the 38th Street Tunnel in Queens. The route will pass the Brooklyn Navy Yard and feed the Brooklyn docks at one end and lead directly to LaGuardia Airport on the other. This proposed artery should be built for six lanes of express traffic separated for most of its length from service roads by malls with the all but principal intersecting streets closed to the main flow of traffic. This project would require the acquisition of land assessed at approxi mately $7,000,000 and utilize City-owned property assessed at $345,000. It is estimated that construction will cost $5,100,000. 5. ELEVATED HIGHWAY ACROSS LOWER MANHATTAN This proposed project consists of an elevated structure connecting the Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges to the Holland Tunnel located in the in- terior of blocks along Canal Street. The ramps from the two bridges and the tunnel converge to form a double deck viaduct across lower Manhattan to provide uninterrupted flow of traffic across the most congested section of New York City It is in the heart of the New York port and shipping district. This proposed project would require the acquisition of land assessed at approximately $8,800,000 and use City-owned land assessed at $2,900,000. It can be constructed at an estimated cost of $10,300,000. 4. HARLEM RIVER DRIVE This project provides a six lane highway from the Manhattan end of the Triborough Bridge and the north end of the East River Drive to the tunnels under Manhattan connecting with the George Washington Bridge. It skirts the waterfront of the Harlem River with access to intermediate river crossings. Pro vision is made for industrial development and service roads in the area along the river at proper locations. This route is the most practical means of pro- viding traffic flow from the New England shore route across the Hudson River into Northern New Jersey. The cost of slashing a major artery across the Bronx easterly from the George Washington Bridge would be prohibitive. It is estimated that the assessed valuation of land to be acquired for this project will amount to $5,800,000. City-owned land valued at $1,800,000 is planned to be used. The construction is estimated at $11,700,000. The estimated cost of construction of the four proposed projects total $41,500,000 and the projects require land acquisition estimated at $23,500,000. The routes recommended are shown on the maps and exhibits attached to this report. In preparing this program of vital gaps, we studied, of course, a con- nection between the Queens Midtown Tunnel and the Lincoln Tunnel across Manhattan. A tunnel connecting the two river tubes would cost too much, and it could not be completed in time to contribute to the solution of the present emergency. A route for an elevated highway which could be constructed at reasonable cost was found, but it is doubtful if it could be built in a year. Land acquisition would involve long negotiations with owners to obtain easements through valuable land and buildings. The project was left out of the recommended schedule for these reasons . As the representative of the City serving on the Committee of State Highway Commissioners studying the so-called Boston to Washington superhighway, I have had excellent opportunity to coordinate the New York arterial system with the systems of the adjoining states of Connecticut and New Jersey. We claim no originality for the projects recommended. The Pelham- Portchester Express Highway was laid down on the maps of Westchester County in 1925 as far south as the New York City line. The design of the connections to the Hutchinson River Parkway and Eastern Boulevard in New York City are original with us. The Brooklyn-Queens Connecting Highway is in its essential characteristics the plan developed by the Borough President's office in Brooklyn and we have sug- gested only changes in detail. The precise Elevated Highway route across lower Manhattan on the location shown is new. The Harlem River Drive was designed by the office of the Borough President of Manhattan with cooperation of the Park Department and Triborough Bridge Authority. Construction on these four gaps can start immediately by distributing the responsibility for the engineering design and letting of contracts among the several agencies geared for the work. The New York State Department of Public Works through its district office responsible for State work in Westchester County should supervise construction of the Pelham-Portchester Express Highway outside of New York City. The New York City Park Department and Triborough Bridge Auth- ority should assume the responsibility for the work in Pelham Bay Park in New York City. The Brooklyn-Queens Connecting Highway should be assigned to the Borough President of Brooklyn. The Canal Street Improvement and the Harlem River Drive should be undertaken by the office of the Borough President of Manhattan with cooperation of the Park Department and Triborough Bridge Authority. All of this work can be completed in one year on a three shift design and construction basis under emergency orders, land acquisition being speeded up to fit into the period of design. The present New York metropolitan arteries were financed from many sources. City, County, State and inter-state Authorities have issued bonds for much of the work. State and Federal funds for railroad grade crossing eliminations were used for highways as incidental improvements and at places where the arterial system met railroads. City and County appropriations were supplemented by State highway and parkway funds with Federal aid. Appropriations for units in the system ran from local borough assessment to substantial Federal subsidy. Funds for the projects recommended should be provided from Federal appropriations for national defense on the assumption that a nation-wide pro- gram of this kind will be adopted. The Borough Presidents of Brooklyn and Manhattan, a number of other City agencies and the Westchester County Park Commission cooperated in assem- bling data for this report. The staffs of the City and State park departments and of the Triborough Bridge Authority have been most helpful, and I wish to acknowledge particularly the services of Consulting Engineer W. Earle Andrews. Very truly yours, Chairman VITAL GAPS IN NEW YORK METROPOLITAN ARTERIES 72 Oreroll SECTION WITH MINIMUM CENTER MALL SECTION WITH VARIABLE CENTER MALL SECTION AT VIADUCT TYPICAL SECTIONS OF PROPOSED PELHAM- PORTCHESTER EXPRESS HIGHWAY O 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 SCALE IN FEET THE PROPOSED PARALLEL ROUTE WILL RELIEVE CONGESTION ON THE BOSTON POST ROAD (FEDERAL ROUTE No. 1) AT NEW ROCHELLE THIS TRAFFIC ON THE BOSTON POST ROAD AT PORTCHESTER IS TYPICAL OF CONDITIONS THROUGH COMMUNITIES ON FEDERAL ROUTE No. 1 IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY PART OF ROUTE OF PROPOSED BROOKLYN QUEENS CONNECTING HIGHWAY Roadv/ay island Roadway Island Service Rd S de**?7?^ S E C T I ON BETWEEN R Y E R S N Sidewalk Sema Rd Roadway island Roadway 340' Overall "Service '"a Sidewalk jj SECTION BETWEEN RYERSON ST. AND WYTHE AVE. Sidewalk Service fid. Rulledae St Service Rd ' Sideivei* j Roadway Island Roadway 340' Overall SECTION BETWEEN BEDFORD AVE. TROSE AVE. ea'4 34' Independent Subway Eideivalk Service Rd Island Roadway Planting , 158' 4 168' Overall Roadwau 4 Service Rd 5idewaii SECTION BETWEE ST. AND DEVOE TYPICAL SECTIONS OF PROPOSED BROOKLYN - QUEENS CONNECTING HIGHWAY THE PROPOSED BROOKLYN - QUEENS CONNECTING HIGHWAY WILL FEED THE BROOKLYN AND MANHATTAN BRIDGES AT ITS SOUTH END THE PROPOSED HIGHWAY WILL RUN INTO THE QUEENS CONNECTING HIGHWAY AT ITS NORTH END TO FORM A DIRECT ROUTE BETWEEN THE NAVY YARD SECTION OF BROOKLYN AND LA GUARDIA AIRPORT THE PROPOSED BROOKLYN - QUEENS CONNECTING HIGHWAY WILL TAP THE MANHATTAN BRIDGE APPROACH AT FLATBUSH AVENUE THE PROPOSED HIGHWAY WILL CONNECT WITH WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE AT BROADWAY AND GRAND STREET EXTENSION APPROACHES or\\\\\\\M TYPICAL SECTIONS OF PROPOSED ELEVATED HIGHWAY ACROSS LOWER MANHATTAN THE TRAFFIC OF THE HOLLAND TUNNEL WILL BE ROUTED IN ORDERLY CHANNELS AT THE CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED ELEVATED HIGHWAY THE PROPOSED ELEVATED HIGHWAY WILL CONNECT WITH THE WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE ACROSS THE RIVER BEFORE REACHING GRADE 8 ana 5'Oe^aiM Serv.cc »oad Plan hnj 130' Overall Mary *a! S'reef SECTION BETWEEN EI3IST EI32N0 STREETS TYPICAL SECTIONS OF PROPOSED HARLEM RIVER DRIVE THIS SECTION OF FEDERAL ROUTE No. 1 AT FORDHAM ROAD AND WEBSTER AVENUE IN THE BRONX SHOWS ON HIGHWAY MAPS AS A THROUGH ROUTE. MOST OF THE EXISTING TRAFFIC IS LOCAL THIS SECTION OF FEDERAL ROUTE No. 1 IS ON FORDHAM ROAD. THE PROPOSED HARLEM RIVER DRIVE WILL FURNISH A FASTER ROUTE FOR TRAFFIC BETWEEN NEW ENGLAND AND THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE THIS SECTION OF FEDERAL ROUTE No. 1 IS ON FORDHAM ROAD. THROUGH TRAFFIC CAN BE ROUTED OVER THE PROPOSED HARLEM RIVER DRIVE TO AVOID THIS CONGESTION TYPES OF PRESENT METROPOLITAN TRAFFIC ARTERIES THE QUEENS APPROACH TO TRIBOROUGH BRIDGE THE MANHATTAN APPROACH TO TRIBOROUGH BRIDGE TYPES OF PRESENT METROPOLITAN TRAFFIC ARTERIES INTERCHANGE BETWEEN TRAFFIC FROM MANHATTAN, BRONX AND QUEENS ON TRIBOROUGH BRIDGE TYPES OF PRESENT METROPOLITAN TRAFFIC ARTERIES APPROACH TO HENRY HUDSON BRIDGE TYPES OF PRESENT METROPOLITAN TRAFFIC ARTERIES DOUBLE DECKED SECTION OF EAST RIVER DRIVE IN MANHATTAN TYPES OF PRESENT METROPOLITAN TRAFFIC ARTERIES JUNCTION OF LAURELTON, SOUTHERN STATE AND BELT PARKWAYS FLUSHING APPROACH TO WHITESTONE PARKWAY TYPES OF PRESENT METROPOLITAN TRAFFIC ARTERIES TYPES OF PRESENT METROPOLITAN TRAFFIC ARTERIES MERRITT PARKWAY PHOTOGRAPHS BY RODNEY McCAY MORGAN JOHN GASS ARNOLD AND KELLOGG FAIRCHILD AERIAL SURVEYS, INC. it.**