MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project Historic Architectural Resources Background Study for the MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project FIGURE 29: LOCATION OF THE IRT NO. 6 SUBWAY TRUSS BRIDGE OVER WESTCHESTER AVENUE, AMTRAK HELL GATE LINE AND THE BRONX RIVER Source: USGS Central Park, NY and Flushing, NY Quadrangles, 1966 (Photorevised 1979). Source: Bing Maps (http://www.bing maps.com), 2013. Photo 88. IRT No. 6 Subway Truss Bridge over Westchester Avenue, Amtrak Hell Gate Line and the Bronx River, Aerial View North. 187 MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project Historic Architectural Resources Background Study for the MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project 7.5.2.5 New York Westchester & Boston Railway Anchor Bridge – Starlight Park, North of East 174th Street (AG 11.83) a. Description The New York Westchester & Boston Railway (NYW&B) Anchor Bridge is situated in Starlight Park, north of East 174th Street and west of the Amtrak Hell Gate Line (Figure 30, Photo 89). The steel anchor bridge has splayed lattice supports on either side of the former tracks and a horizontal bridge that spanned the tracks and supported circuit breakers and the railroad’s electric lines. The NYW&B Railway Anchor Bridge marks the unofficial "beginning" of the NYW&B's tracks at West Farms Junction, where it branches off the NYNH&H Railroad Harlem River Branch. b. Significance The former NYW&B Railway Anchor Bridge, built circa 1910, is a rare surviving steel feature of the NYW&B Railway. The NYW&B was constructed between 1910 and 1912 and ceased operations in 1937. Subsequently, most of the structures associated with the railroad were scrapped. It is eligible for listing on the National Register under Criterion A in the area of transportation and under Criterion C in the area of engineering. This particular bridge is believed to be the only remaining intact NYW&B Railway Anchor Bridge that was used solely by the NYW&B Railway. 188 MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project Historic Architectural Resources Background Study for the MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project FIGURE 30: LOCATION OF THE NEW YORK, WESTCHESTER & BOSTON RAILWAY ANCHOR BRIDGE Source: USGS Central Park, NY and Flushing, NY Quadrangles, 1966 (Photorevised 1979). Source: Lynn Drobbin & Associates, 2013 Photo 89. New York, Westchester & Boston Railway Anchor Bridge, View Northeast 189 MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project Historic Architectural Resources Background Study for the MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project 7.5.2.6 Bryant Avenue Bridge over Amtrak Hell Gate Line (AG 10.78) (Demolished 2015) a. Description The Bryant Avenue Bridge over the Amtrak Hell Gate Line is oriented east to west between Bruckner Boulevard and the elevated Sheridan Expressway and Garrison Avenue in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx (Figure 31, Photo 90). The bridge is a single-span through plate girder bridge, which is 90 feet long between backwalls and approximately 56 feet wide. The bridge carries two lanes of local traffic and two pedestrian sidewalks over four tracks of the Amtrak Hell Gate Line. b. Significance The Bryant Avenue Bridge over the Amtrak Hell Gate Line, identified as eligible for National Register listing in the NYSDOT Historic Bridge Inventory, has a SHPO Opinion of Eligibility as a plate girder bridge that conveys the significant features common to the type. This bridge, built during the 1906-1910 NYNH&H Railroad Harlem River Branch grade-crossing elimination, predates the standardization period for plate girder bridges that occurred by 1909. The upgrade also included six tracks in a widened right-of-way, all new stations and the electrification of the line. Records of the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) indicate that the Bryant Avenue Bridge is proposed to undergo a NYCDOT-sponsored substantial rehabilitation in 2014. The rehabilitation program will include replacement of the steel superstructure, bearings, approaches and water mains and rehabilitation of the existing substructures. The proposed superstructure will consist of a reinforced concrete deck over pre-stressed concrete adjacent box beams. NOTE: This bridge was demolished in 2015. The new replacement structure is scheduled to be completed in 2016. 190 MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project Historic Architectural Resources Background Study for the MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project FIGURE 31: LOCATION OF THE BRYANT AVENUE BRIDGE OVER AMTRAK HELL GATE LINE Source: USGS Central Park, NY and Flushing, NY Quadrangles, 1966 (Photorevised 1979). Source: Lynn Drobbin & Associates, 2013 Photo 90. Bryant Avenue Bridge over Amtrak Hell Gate Line, View South 191 MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project Historic Architectural Resources Background Study for the MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project 7.5.2.7 Lafayette Avenue Bridge over Amtrak Hell Gate Line (AG 10.30) a. Description The Lafayette Avenue Bridge over the Amtrak Hell Gate Line is located between the elevated Bruckner Expressway and Garrison Avenue in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx (Figure 32, Photo 91). It consists of two adjacent single-span, three-panel, riveted steel Baltimore trusses that extend 119 feet between backwalls. The bridge carries the roadway and pedestrian walkways over four tracks of the Amtrak Hell Gate Line. b. Significance The Lafayette Avenue Bridge over the Amtrak Hell Gate Line, identified as eligible for National Register listing in the NYSDOT Historic Bridge Inventory under National Register Criterion C, has a SHPO Opinion of Eligibility as a significant variation of an uncommon bridge type. This bridge, built in 1908 during the 1906-1910 NYNH&H Railroad grade-crossing elimination, is a Baltimore Petit truss bridge that consists of two parallel adjacent trusses. Although it has been rehabilitated, it has retained its historic architectural integrity. In addition to the grade-crossing elimination, the upgrade included six tracks in a widened right-of-way, all new stations, all new bridges and electrification of the line. 192 MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project Historic Architectural Resources Background Study for the MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project FIGURE 32: LOCATION OF THE LAFAYETTE AVENUE BRIDGE OVER THE AMTRAK HELL GATE LINE Source: USGS Central Park, NY Quadrangle, 1966 (Photorevised 1979). Source: Lynn Drobbin & Associates, 2013 Photo 91. Lafayette Avenue Bridge over Amtrak Hell Gate Line, View West 193 MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project Historic Architectural Resources Background Study for the MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project 7.5.3 Bridges Where Work is Proposed for the PSA Project There are four bridges in the PSA Project Hell Gate Line APE where work is proposed to be conducted as part of the PSA Project. A description of the bridge, discussion of its history and significance, a location plan and photographs are provided on the following pages for the two bridges – Amtrak Hell Gate Line Bridges over Eastchester Road and Bronxdale Avenue – that are not described in the preceding Section 7.5.2. The four bridges are as follows: 1. Amtrak Hell Gate Line Bascule Bridge over Pelham Bay and Hutchinson River 2. Amtrak Hell Gate Line Bridge over Eastchester Road 3. Amtrak Hell Gate Line Bridge over Bronxdale Avenue 4. Amtrak Hell Gate (Northeast Corridor) Line Bascule Bridge over the Bronx River 7.5.3.1 Amtrak Hell Gate Line Bascule Bridge over Pelham Bay and Hutchinson River (AG 15.69-15.85) See Section 7.5.2 Bridges with SHPO Opinions of Eligibility 7.5.3.2 Amtrak Hell Gate Line Bridge over Eastchester Road (AG 13.92) a. Description The Amtrak Hell Gate Line Bridge over Eastchester Road is a riveted steel through girder bridge that is 173.9 feet long (Figures 33 and 34, Photo 92 through 96). It is located at Eastchester Road south of Morris Park Avenue in the Morris Park section of the Bronx. The bridge is located in an urbanized setting, surrounded by the hospital and medical school complexes of Einstein Medical College, Yeshiva University and Calvary Hospital. At this location, the railroad crosses Eastchester Road at a 38-degree skew angle with the tracks aligned approximately northeast to southwest and Eastchester Road aligned nearly north to south. The bridge consists of two separate superstructures supported by a common substructure; the superstructures are separated by approximately 40 feet. The gap between the superstructure elements was to accommodate the two center-island platforms of the Westchester Station that were supported by the bridge substructure. Each of the superstructures has two main spans over the roadway and two shorter spans over the sidewalks. The station was located about 100 feet southwest of the bridge; the station and platforms are no longer extant. The substructure consists of cast-in-place concrete end abutments and built-up steel pier bents. A stair, which formerly accessed the station, is cast into the west abutment. The northern superstructure has a single track bay with two fascia girders. The southern superstructure has three track bays with two fascia girders and two interior girders. Both superstructure elements have a built-up transverse trough deck. 194 MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project Historic Architectural Resources Background Study for the MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access Project FIGURE 33: LOCATION OF THE AMTRAK HELL GATE LINE BRIDGE OVER EASTCHESTER ROAD Source: USGS Flushing, NY Quadrangle, 1966 (Photorevised 1979). b. Significance The Amtrak Hell Gate Line Bridge over Eastchester Road was constructed by the NYNH&H Railroad in 1907 as part of the Harlem River Branch upgrade undertaken from 1906 to 1910 and included widening the right-of-way to six tracks with grade separation and construction of all new stations; the line was also electrified at that time.