| The river rechanneling process provided a ready source of excavated material that could be used in other parts of the parkway, both to reclaim swamp areas and provide fill for bridges and roads. Topsoil was carefully removed from the lakes and driveway during grading and excavation and spread in other locations to improve conditions for planting. The decision to rechannel the river also made it easier to lay out the parkway drive, allowing Merkel to coordinate the two elements for maximum scenic effect and ease of construction. The number of bridges was reduced by judicious alignment of road and river. Significant savings were realized by building some bridges on dry ground before water was diverted into the new channel. Dredging and reconfiguring the channel also helped reduce the flooding problems that had long plagued the low-lying areas along the Bronx River.(155) Merkel’s general plan for landscape development was substantially completed by 1917. Working with the BPC commissioners and staff, he produced grading plans for the paths and roadway, along with a general development and planting scheme. Grading plans showed the desired changes in contour and were used to help calculate the relationships between cuts and fills. They were revised until an efficient balance was reached that would eliminate long hauls and the borrowing of grading material from outside the BRPR. The general planting plan set out Merkel’s scheme for the reforestation of denuded areas and the restoration of the Bronx River valley’s native beauty. The general development plan indicated the location of the river, parkway drive, paths, lakes, and vegetation. The parkway was divided into five sections, and the plans for these areas were published in the BPC’s 1918 Annual Report. Although the maps did not specify the types of trees and vegetation to be planted, it showed the locations of the drive, meadows, and groupings of trees.(156) The primary engineered feature in Merkel’s landscape plan was the parkway drive, which would accommodate four lanes of traffic on a 40'-wide pavement. His earliest written description for the road alignment articulated several important design features that would soon become hallmarks of parkway design. These included the avoidance of excessive grades and dangerous curves; the replacement of at-grade intersections with grade-separated crossings; and the division of traffic into two one-way drives separated by a landscaped median divider. The latter feature was largely eliminated due to cost concerns, though a few short sections of divided highway were built according to plan. Merkel’s 1917 alignment called for separating traffic in the Bronx between East 236th Street and McLean Avenue. In Bronxville, the drive was again separated into two one-way roads from Front Street to just south of Pondfield Road. North of Pondfield, the road separated to divert around a hill. Other divisions were planned at Harney Road and in Fox Meadow. Merkel made sure that the parkway drive closely followed the river for maximum scenic effect. He noted that the road left the river in only one location, near Tuckahoe Road, where it had to be routed away to avoid streets and a factory. Expressing his vision for the proposed roadway, Merkel proclaimed that he hoped to create "a splendid safe Parkway, through shady woods and lovely meadows, past pools and rapids of clean, clear water, with all the natural charm restored and much of the man-made ugliness obliterated."(157) The curvilinear roadway followed the parkway’s natural topography, avoiding both long and unsightly straight sections and sharp and dangerous curves. The drive was designed to harmonize with the landscape, rather than appear as an artificial structure that intruded on its surroundings. Bituminous surfacing was used on the roadway to make it darker and less obtrusive than the Portland cement-based concrete used on many contemporary high standard roadways. Separating the road into two one-way drives in key locations added variety and helped preserve attractive landscape features. The dual drives in Garth Woods preserved a large stand of forest and provided a more intimate experience with nature. |
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| (155)Bronx
Parkway Commission, Report, 1918, 52-53; Final Report,
96. |
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