| Late in the construction season, bids were opened for a contract to build two stone-faced reinforced-concrete arch bridges to carry the BRP drive over the brooks flowing from Fox Meadow in Scarsdale. The noted architectural firm of Carrere and Hastings designed the architectural treatments for both bridges. The arches and wingwalls were to be faced with native stone to provide a rugged appearance suitable for the bridges’ surroundings of woods and rocky cliffs. The bridge walls were to be constructed of natural-finished wood guardrails. Special foundation construction was necessary for both bridges because the Bronx Valley Sewer passed through the abutments. Seven bids ranging from $13,950.40 to $20,005.95 were submitted for the bridge contract. The lowest bidder, Russell R. Ames, Inc., of Rochester, New York, began work in early October. The contractor had completed the abutment excavations when work was suspended due to severe winter weather.(185) Other work completed during the 1917 construction season included the erection of a masonry footbridge south of Gun Hill Road and provision sewer connections in White Plains. BPC laborers graded the parkway drive at White Plains, Scarsdale, and Williamsbridge. The commission concerned the draining of a swampy area north of Main Street in White Plains to be an important project. A contractor performed this service. The BPC did not have enough laborers because many men had left to join the military. Downer noted that the contractor was more expensive than BPC labor forces and that the hired crew also required more engineering supervision. In December paving was completed on 1,600' of parkway drive at the BRPR’s southern terminus and this portion of the road was opened to the public.(186) Suspending Construction: the Impact of World War IAt the end of 1917, New York City was in arrears on its payment of $225,000 to the BPC. The city had a limited borrowing capacity during the war, and the NYC-BEA requested that the BPC forestall new construction and base its budget for the next year on the minimum required to maintain improvements already in place.(187) The BPC recognized that wartime needs took precedence over public works projects and announced that it was deferring the start of new construction work. One of the first casualties of the wartime construction deferral was the Woodland Place Viaduct near White Plains, which was almost ready to go to bid. The BPC, together with the railroad company and the City of White Plains, agreed to proceed in developing plans and specifications even though construction was being postponed.(188) The BPC’s professional staff and labor forces were dramatically curtailed by the United States’ involvement in World War I. Many BPC employees joined the military or entered civilian government service. The BPC lost other workers who left the commission’s employment to take advantage of higher paying jobs created by wartime labor shortages. The commission managed to retain some employees, including Thomas Sullivan, who was considered Merkel’s right-hand man. Sullivan had been offered a position with the state government for more money, but the BPC raised his salary to match the offer. Clerical, engineering, and labor forces were reduced to a skeletal organization by 1918. The labor force was reduced from 270 men in May 1917 to forty in October 1918. Downer and Clarke, like most other employees in the engineering and landscape departments, took leave to join the war effort. Sullivan eventually left as well. Because of their specialized skills, many former BPC employees served with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where Clarke attained the rank of major. Holleran became acting chief engineer in Downer’s absence. The position of assistant secretary was abolished due to the lack of work and money, and BPC counsel Theodosius Stevens became acting secretary.(189) |
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| (185)Bronx
Parkway Commission, Report, 1917, 54, 87-88; Report,
1918, 31. |
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