The New York Rapid-transit Subway

Proceedings.] PARSONS ON NEW YORK RAPID-TRANSIT SUBWAY. 27 At 96th Street a special local difficulty confronted the designing of the station. Immediately to the north is the junction between the East Side and West Side lines, and from the station the tracks ascend in both directions at gradients as steep as are desirable, even if the station were placed at the normal minimum depth. To lower the station so as to permit the construction of an overhead bridge would have increased the gradients to an extent that would have restricted freedom in train-running. Again, 96th Street being at the bottom of a drainage-valley, there existed a large trunk sewer 6 feet 6 inches in diameter. With the station as designed, this sewer was lowered 2 feet 3 inches. To have lowered it 7 to 8 feet more would have greatly increased the magnitude of the work. It was therefore decided to reverse the procedure at this station, and, instead of building a bridge over the tracks, to construct a passage beneath them. By doing this the station was kept close to the surface of the street, similar to the 72nd Street station, connection between the two island platforms, and between the island platforms and the street, being made by underground passage. Although nearly all the stations are covered generally by the plans already described, there are a few stations which are peculiar, owing to special topographical features. The two stations at 167th Street and 181st Street are of the same general design and are both constructed in a deep tunnel. The station at Mott Avenue, although constructed in open cut, is similar to these two stations in general dimensions, methods of working, and access. The plans for the station at Mott Avenue are therefore shown in Fig. 6, Plate 5, as illustrative of the three. The other two stations have a width of 53 feet between the lines of excavation, and 48 feet between the surfaces of the finished walls. The roof is an arch, the springing of which is just above the station-platform. The two platforms are each 13 feet wide, and are reached by a shaft at one side containing two elevators and a stairway. The elevators are arranged to stop at two levels, either at the platform next adjacent to them or at about 10 feet higher, which is the level of a bridge spanning the two tracks and reaching to the farther platform. The shafts have the following depths to platform-levels :— Mott Avenue..................................................46 feet 168th Street.............................................97„ 181st ...................................122„ In the construction of stations the same general principles were adopted as in the subway proper—namely, a combination of steel