RANS IT CON STRUCTI ON COMMI SSI O N ER A Report e by th Chief Engineer submitting fer ' Ceihpr ehensive Rapid Tr ansitPlan Cever ing all Bor oughsof the City of New Yor k Ti anlsil Coizstmaion C om mission er of August O ""I CE O"T RLANS IT CONST RUCTI ON COMMI SS I ONER oh n H: DW DAN " RNE R " , IEL “ TU . Chie f E n inz er I N T R O D U CT I O N For p rope r muni cipal growth and development wel l - cons i dered City pl ann ing i s N absolutely essent ial . o sati s factory C i ty pl an can be dev ised w ithout giving proper study to t rans it requi rement s and facil i ti es . I n f act , w i thout p roper and adequa te trans i t ser v ice no rmal mun ic ipal growth i s certain to be retarded an d abnormal and con gested cond it ions develop in certain metropol i tan dist r icts and strangulation o f grow th resul ts i n neglected areas . The T ran si t Construct ion Com m iss ioner , real iz ing the necess i ty o f an orderly development o f rapi d trans i t l ines i n al l sect ion s o f the C i ty , author ized Ch ie f Engineer t Dan iel L . Turner o study an d formul ate a pl an representing h is concept ion o f the 29th problem and its sol ution . The repo rt was presented July and was ordered p r inted fiicial its c for d istr ibution w ithout o act ion be ing taken upon re om mendations . The purpose o f publ icat ion i s to evoke suggest ion an d cr it ici s m . I t shoul d be borne i n m in d that i t i s not contemp lated that the comprehens ive trans it s cheme in its enti rety should n be undertaken at once but that i t shoul d be proceeded w ith gradual ly a d continuously . " ‘ O V C z WS B o x 7 8 P R O P O S E D C O MP R E H E N S I V E R A P I D T R A N S I T P L A N C O V E R I N G A L L O "T HE B O R O U GH S O "N E WY O R K C I T Y H L A Y The Honorable "O N H . D E N E , Comm issione r . Dear S ir I subm it he rew ith a report , togethe r w ith a map , w ith respect to a P roposed Com o f prehens ive Rapid Trans it Pl an cover ing al l the Boroughs o f New York C ity . I t has been recognized s ince the ‘ incept ion o f the fi rs t subway that the publ ic author it ies charged w ith the responsibil ity there fo r shoul d prov ide the necessary pl an s so n tha t the const ructi on o f rapi d trans i t l i nes m igh t g o o con t i n uou sly , in o rder th at the trans i t fac i l it ies m ight keep pace w i th the enormous t raff ic g row th in the C ity . Con fo rm ing to th is pol icy , recommen dat ions w i th pl ans were subm i tted to the predecessor s f o the Transi t Construct ion Comm issioner , the Board o f Rapi d T ransi t Rai l road Com its m iss ioners , and successo r , the Publ i c Serv ice Commi ss ion , wh ich formed the basi s fo r the l ines included in the D ual System contracts . S ince the D ual System cont racts have been under const ruct ion , the attent ion o f the Publ ic Serv ice Commission and o f the T ransi t Const ruction Commi ss ioner necessar ily has been devoted al most enti rely to the compl et ion o f these contracts . B ut i t has been recognized that a new transit p rogram was imperatively necessary . There fore , in the F 1 91 9 al l o f , wh ich was as early as the c i rcum stances perm itted , I undertook to formulate a com prehens ive t ransi t plan . The resul t o f these stud ies I am now sub mi tting . The t ime has now arr ive d when we must look ahead again and p rov ide plans fo r and begin the work o f const ruct ion on the enl argement o f the rapi d t ransit system . I t has probably averaged ten years f rom the inception o f prev ious general t ransi t f proj ects to the date o the beginning o f ope rat ion . I t i s there fore important to begin the new pl ans at once . In consi der ing routes that are to be recommende d fo r earl y construct ion i t is desi rable that the program deal w ith the transi t requi rements for the 2 next 5 years . There fore , in my analysi s o f the situat ion I have undertaken to ind icate the new fac il ities wh ich in my j udgment shoul d be incl uded in such a 25 -year bu il d ing program . They are as fol lows Extensions Extension o f the Corona b ranch o f the Steinway Tunnel l ine f rom its present terminus to M ain Street , Flushing . Extens ion o f the Steinway Tunn el l ine f rom its proposed terminus at Seventh Avenue and 4l st S t reet west th rough 4 l st St reet to a connect ion w ith the propo sed - A msterdam Avenue E ighth Avenue t runk l ine . Tw o - track extens ion o f the New York M unicipal Rail way Corporation B roadway Fourth Avenue l ine f rom 59th St reet and Seventh Avenue up Central Park West and Eighth or Seventh Avenue to the Harlem R iver . Extension o f the N ew York M un icipal Rail way Corpo rat ion B roadway - Fourth Avenue l ine f rom a connect ion at B roadway and C i ty Hal l Park , v ia Ann St reet and t the East R i ver o B rooklyn , and v i a B rooklyn B r i dge term inal prope rty, Washington D Kal St reet , Li v ingston St reet , e b A venue and Fort Greene Place to a connection with the Ful ton Street elevated l ine at or near Ashlan d Place . Extension o f the N ew York Mun icipal Railway Corporat ion Fou rth A venue Sub - way , B rooklyn , by way o f a two track tunnel under the Narrows to the Borough o f Richmond . Extension o f the Nostran d A venue Subway o f the Interborough Company south into an d th rough Coney I sl and . Extension o f the A stor ia branch o f the Steinway Tunnel l ine south th rough Queens and B rooklyn to a connect ion w i th the B righton B each l ine i n B rooklyn , thereby p rovi d ing a B rooklyn c rosstown l i ne . Ex ten sion o f the two tracks o f the Inte rborough Seventh A venue - B roadway l ine no w ter m inat ing at the B attery f rom a point at Greenw ich an d Liberty St reets v ia n k Li be rty S treet , Ma iden La e and the E ast R iver to B rooklyn , and thence v ia H ic s Street , an d Un ion Street , Seventh A venue Gravesend A venue to a connect ion w ith the Cul ver no w N 4 l ine incl uded under Con tract O . I n add i t ion to the foregoing exten sions , a number o f m inor extensions to the elevated f l ines shoul d be const ructed where such l ines now term inate short o the C ity l im i ts . N ew Tr un k L in es A new w est si de M an hattan t runk l ine cons isting o f fou r t racks o f the p roposed 8- - 1 track A ms terdam A venue E ight h Avenue trunk l ine , extend ing f rom 55th Street in u pper M anhattan to 23 d Stree t i n lower M anhattan "w i th a col l ecting and d istr ibut ing branch extend ing f rom i ts northern extrem ity th rough upper M anhattan and into The ' B ronx , v ia For t Wash ington A venue to Spuyten Duyvi l , and thence v i a Netherland A venu e t h rough th e R iver dal e sect ion "w i th p rov i s ion at 1 5 5 th S treet fo r a future east erl y branch into an d ac ross The B ronx"w i th a branch f rom its so uthern extrem i ty 2 exten d ing east through 3d Street to the East R ive r , w h ich subsequently can be carr ied i nto an d ac ross B rooklyn , an d w i th another branch exten ding south down H udson w and Streets to some here near the B attery , wh ich subsequen tl y can al so be ex ten ded to B rooklyn .