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MAKING TRACKS - Vol. 3, No. 4 - Fall 1997
Entire contents of MAKING TRACKS is copyright © 1997 by Village Crosstown Trolley Coalition,
but may be reproduced either in whole or in part with a clear acknowledgment of the source.
Please report any errors to us at VCTC. Thanks.
Inside this Issue
Just Below the Surface--8th Street's Hidden Treasure
East River Park: Rediscovering an Urban Oasis by Trolley
Letter from the Editor
By George Haikalis
VCTC's plan to restore the 8th St. Crosstown Trolley could become a reality sooner thanks to a preliminary investigation by engineers at NYC's Dept. of Transportation (NYCDOT). They estimate that as much as 90% of the original Eighth St. Crosstown Trolley track infrastructure may be buried beneath a few inches of asphalt on Eighth St., Christopher St., St. Marks Place and East 10th St. Only when the city carries out a complete street reconstruction project does it go to the time, effort and community disruption needed to remove the substantial structure built to support Manhattan's major trolley lines.
NYCDOT reconstructed two short block-long segments along VCTC's proposed two mile trolley restoration: East 10th St. between Avenue C and Avenue D, in 1985, and 8th St. between Broadway and 4th Avenue, in 1965. More recently, in what seemed like an endless effort, the NYCDOT reconstructed two major north-south thoroughfares--6th Avenue and Hudson St.--that also resulted in removal of short stretches of the crosstown trolley trackage.
It is not surprising that removal of the Manhattan streetcar infrastructure is difficult and costly since its installation was also an immense undertaking. Though dwarfed by the much larger investment needed to construct New York City's subway system at the turn of the century, the electrification of Manhattan's streetcar lines was a substantial engineering achievement in its own right. Far exceeding the investment in the rails was the installation of underground conduits for electric power distribution. A few of Manhattan's busiest horse car lines had already been converted to cable car operation by the late 1880's, and their conversion to electric power was less complex. Cable cars were introduced in New York not because of the need to navigate steep grades like in San Francisco, but because of their cost savings over horse car operation.
Below-ground power distribution for streetcars was mandated in Manhattan because of the great public outcry after the disastrous blizzard of 1888. The heavy snow and ice brought down much of the clutter of overhead electric wires that existed at the time. In response city fathers banned all overhead electric wires in Manhattan. Telephone, telegraph and electric power cables were all buried. While the relatively modest investment in overhead electric wires allowed street railway companies throughout the U.S. to quickly eliminate horse cars at the turn of the century, Manhattan's street railway operators had to install costly underground conduits. This was an immense undertaking, leading ultimately to the bankruptcy and segmentation of Manhattan's street railway network, the world's most extensive, in 1907.
The most important structural elements of the conduit railway system were the ring-shaped steel "yokes". These frames, spaced at about four foot intervals, held the power rails in precise alignment and supported the surface running rails. The yokes also supported the rails that formed the narrow slot penetrated by each streetcar's plough-like contact shoe. This substantial, rigid structure remains largely in place today. What is not known is the condition of the running rails, and the stability of the structure after many years of road traffic. Fortunately, motor vehicle traffic along most of the 8th St. line was light. Only a few blocks near the Hudson River waterfront saw heavy truck traffic.
Several U.S. cities have resumed operation of streetcar service on tracks long out of service. The McKinney Avenue line in Dallas, TX (see "Merchants Win Restoration of Historic Dallas Trolley" in MAKING TRACKS, Summer 1996) is probably the most notable example. Re-using existing tracks will save greatly on cost and community disruption. Even if those tracks were unsuitable, placing new trackage in the same location would be advantageous. The cumbersome conduit structure meant that new underground utilities were generally located elsewhere in the street even after streetcar service was abandoned. Much of the engineering debate about the utility relocation cost associated with bringing back the 42nd St. trolley is related to its new location along the south side of the street, rather than in the center, where it once operated.
VCTC believes that replacing the existing M8 crosstown bus with a trolley will greatly increase ridership. Running modern light rail vehicles at five minute headways, as opposed to the M8's headway of nine minutes or more, would provide a very attractive service. This kind of frequency would require a double track line for most of the route, although some short stretches of single track may be possible. From its very beginnings the 8th St. streetcar line was a busy two track line. West of 6th Avenue trolleys ran west on 10th St. and east on Christopher St. East of 3rd Ave. trolleys ran east on St. Marks Place and west on East 9th St. The middle segment, on 8th St. from 6th Ave. to 3rd Ave., and the segment on E. 10th Street from Avenue A to Avenue D were both double track.
VCTC proposes restoring the crosstown line but running it in both directions on the same street throughout its entire length. Experience with other new light rail installations in the U.S. indicates that there are substantial construction and operating cost gains. In the case of the Village Crosstown Trolley, where the trolley is proposed to be incorporated into a pedestrian street, Christopher St., 8th St. and St. Marks Place are clearly the best candidate streets. The double track infrastructure beneath the pavement on 8th St. is the most valuable segment to retain. The degree to which this existing structure can be reused on Christopher St. or St. Marks Place must await more detailed studies. The conduit railway was a unique feature of NYC history, and as it is unearthed it could be retained as a visual element of street design. But its restoration as a functioning element of the propulsion system would be costly and impractical. Installing overhead trolley wire using a great deal of sensitivity in its location and appearance would make the most sense.
The current planning study for widening the sidewalks on 8th St. (see "Business Group Proposes Wider Sidewalks on 8th St." in MAKING TRACKS, Winter 1997) is focusing on traffic planning issues, like levels of traffic service and parking space use. When engineering issues come into play, VCTC strongly believes that the street's hidden civic asset--the streetcar infrastructure--should be retained. VCTC urges the city to begin a comprehensive planning and engineering study of the entire crosstown corridor--from river to river--in the near future. Such a study could look at a broad range of issues, including the degree to which some or all of the existing streetcar infrastructure can be brought back to life.
By William K. Guild
Most Villagers are all too aware of the controversies swirling about Hudson River Park, a proposed recreation area to be built along the river side of West St. which would be served admirably by VCTC's crosstown trolley (see "Keeping the 'Park' in the Hudson River Park," in MAKING TRACKS, Summer 1997). Far less known is East River Park, fifty-seven acres of grass, trees, playgrounds, athletic fields, walks and scenic vistas extending from East 12th St. to Montgomery St., south of Corlears Hook.
Built sixty years ago on landfill begun as a WPA project, East River Park remains a well-kept secret from most New Yorkers. It is cut off from the interior of Manhattan not only by the FDR Drive and a wall of high-rise housing projects, but also by remoteness from effective public transit. Streetcars once provided regular service to the East River waterfront, including the 8th St. crosstown line to the Greenpoint ferry at East 10th St. Today's M-8 crosstown bus service is far less frequent and less reliable. As if to discourage ridership even further, passengers are carried only to the west side of Ave. D, although the buses actually turn within the Jacob Riis housing project east of the avenue. The nearest subway station is at Astor Place, more than a mile to the west.
The Village Crosstown Trolley would provide fast, reliable transit to the East Village for the first time since the area was simply an undifferentiated part of the Lower East Side. Until the subway extensions in the early decades of the 20th Century, this was the most densely populated district on the face of the earth. Indeed, New York long ago rejected a distance-based transit fare precisely to encourage dispersal of the population from such teeming slums into new neighborhoods on the city's outskirts. This century-old policy continues with the recent elimination of the "two fare zone" for bus-and-subway riders.
Ironically, as direct transit links to the outer boroughs became available, they were curtailed and even eliminated in older areas. Streetcars, which had provided transit on most major crosstown arteries as well as the north-south avenues, were withdrawn. The 1936 replacement of streetcars with bus service on the 8th Street corridor was typical. Rapid transit also was cut back, as the 2nd Ave. el--which had served the Lower East Side along 1st Ave. and Allen Street--and later the 3rd Ave. el, were both torn down. Of course, all these "improvements" were carried out in the name of progress, permitting increasing numbers of automobiles to flow ever faster through the city's streets. Meanwhile, new subway lines, planned for 2nd Ave. and elsewhere as far back as 1929, have never materialized.
It is also ironic that most of East River Park, including the northern section adjacent to the East Village, was created in the 1930s as an incidental by-product of the East River (now FDR) Drive. Unfortunately, this "super highway" formed an effective barrier between the park and the future housing developments and other residential areas it was meant to serve. The new recreational facility was seen as a major expansion of Corlears Hook Park, a small enclave first set aside in 1893 on the point of land jutting into the East River just south of the Williamsburg Bridge, then under construction.
The new highway, opened in 1938, actually bisected the original park, with a pedestrian bridge linking the two segments. An ambitious 2,500 seat amphitheater and recreation building on the river side, the real centerpiece of the enlarged park, now lies in ruins behind fences and "No Trespassing" signs. Three more footbridges span the drive, connecting land side housing projects to river side playgrounds and athletic fields further north. The 1½ mile-long park, which actually measures several hundred feet in width from highway to seawall through most of its length, may also be reached by crossing access roads at Houston St. and Montgomery St.
Aside from the derelict structures noted above and a few other vandalized or neglected facilities, mainly in the southern end, East River Park is in remarkably good condition. Football fields, baseball diamonds and even a running track are well maintained, as are play areas for young children. For the more passive, there are broad walks and comfortable benches with a spectacular view of midtown Manhattan and the Queensboro bridge to the north, Brooklyn and the Williamsburg bridge to the south, and constant maritime activity on the river itself. The only missing element is access--better public transit with improved links into the park.
VCTC proposes to replace the M-8 crosstown bus with a river-to-river trolley following a route almost identical to the streetcar line which operated in this corridor from 1873 to 1936. The western terminal would be at Christopher and West Streets, adjacent to the site of Hudson River Park. Between 4th and 7th Aves. it would intersect every north-south subway line serving Manhattan. Free transfers to and from each of these subway lines, as well as most north-south surface routes, would be available. In addition to the hundreds of retail establishments, businesses and educational institutions along the route, tens of thousands of residential units lie within a few blocks.
Modern low-floor light rail vehicles (LRVs), operating in dedicated right-of-way through the busier commercial districts in mid-route, would permit fast, frequent and reliable service at a relatively low operating cost. With traffic delays reduced or eliminated, a fleet of LRVs no larger than the bus fleet now required for M-8 service could provide headways of five minutes or less, far better than current bus schedules, though not quite up to pre-1936 streetcar standards.
At the eastern terminus the LRVs would reverse direction at a station east of Ave. D on 10th St., within the Jacob Riis housing project, immediately adjacent to a footbridge crossing FDR Drive into East River Park. Existing ramps make the bridge suitable for wheelchairs and baby carriages and, like the low-floor LRVs, ADA-compliant. For the first time in its history, East River Park will be easily accessible not only to all residents of the Village Crosstown corridor, but to residents of the entire city.
Whatever remains of the Greenpoint ferry terminal lies buried beneath FDR Drive and East River Park, but a strong case can be made for restored ferry landings at both ends of the Village Crosstown Trolley (see "Village Corridor: A Modern Path Between the Rivers," in MAKING TRACKS, Summer 1997). Current passenger ferries elsewhere on both rivers operate successfully from landings which are little more than barges moored to existing seawalls. Such a landing could easily be installed in East River Park, a short walk from the East 10th St. footbridge and trolley station.
An East 10th St. ferry landing could provide a pleasant and efficient transit alternative for East Village residents bound for midtown and lower Manhattan, as well as for commuters, tourists and other visitors heading for destinations along the Village Crosstown corridor. And given the uncertain future of rapid transit on the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges, new ferry services to Greenpoint, downtown Brooklyn and other cross-river destinations need to be explored. But unless land-based transit connections are upgraded, the value of such water-based transportation will be marginal at best.
East River Park is by far the largest in Manhattan south of Central Park. It provides aesthetic as well as athletic facilities unavailable elsewhere in this part of the city. Yet without adequate transit, this unique resource is underused and largely unknown to people who live or work more than a few blocks away. It is perhaps a final irony that this park was already under construction in 1936, when buses replaced the streetcars which had provided reliable transit to the East River waterfront for generations.
As noted, East River Park can be reached at several points along its 1½ mile length. There are footbridges from Lillian Wald Houses near East 5th St. and Corlears Hook Houses at Delancey Street South, but these are no more accessible to the general community than the bridge at East 10th St. VCTC would support efforts to improve access to the park by adding gateways or improving transit access to existing entries. Our primary purpose, however, is to demonstrate the need for improved transit in the Village Crosstown corridor and to show how a modern light rail system can best meet the transportation needs of the neighborhood and the city.
In the 1930s the public and its political leaders sought to "modernize" the city by accommodating our streets to the new automobile age. It is long past time to correct this misguided effort of an earlier generation by restoring our streets to public rather than private use. "Happy Motoring" may be a catchy advertising slogan, but it is hardly appropriate for 8th Street or St. Marks Place.
Cities across the country and as close as the New Jersey waterfront are truly modernizing their transit systems by building or restoring light rail in areas of high commercial or residential density. Our 8th St. corridor qualifies on both counts. The Village Crosstown Trolley will provide vastly improved mobility and access to retail and other business establishments, homes, educational institutions, theaters and, last but not least, our parks and recreational facilities.
William K. Guild has served on the Citizens' Advisory Committee for the MTA/NYC Transit East River Crossings Study.
Letter From the Editor
Dear Reader,
The extent to which NYC's former streetcar lines played a role in people's everyday lives cannot be overstated. An attractive, efficient, cost effective transit mode, trolleys had--and still have--no equal for surface transport of passengers in an urban setting, allowing large numbers of people to travel comfortably to work, to shop, to play, to visit relatives and friends, etc. Much of the 8th Street crosstown trolley infrastructure remains intact under the asphalt of today. One of this issue's cover stories takes a look at what we are likely to find "just below the surface". The other cover story examines an overlooked East Village park that could be made far more accessible by trolley.
Michael Goodman, Editor
NY Today
TimeOut New York
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