| Three months after the initial proposal, Downer reported that negotiations had resulted in Yonkers’ agreement to pay the entire cost of the Park Avenue Viaduct. The city wanted the BPC to provide a permanent easement for the bridge and provide a contract form so that the city could meet BPC standards. The commission approved the easement and agreed to assist with the project. The next month, Downer presented Bowdoin and Webster’s plan for the viaduct. The BPC referred the plans to Stoughton for his criticism of the structure’s architectural details.(230) General and detail plans for the Park Avenue Viaduct were presented and approved by the BPC in early 1923. The City of Yonkers hired the Phoenix Construction Company to build the Park Avenue Viaduct in accordance with plans furnished by the BPC. The BPC also had approval over the contract award.(231) The Ardsley Road grade separation was also a cooperative project with neighboring communities. Like the Thompson Street improvements, the Ardsley Road plans included a bridge over the parkway drive and an adjacent bridge over the Bronx River. The BPC’s goal was to cooperate with the Greenburg and Scarsdale town boards so that their plans for a bridge over the river would harmonize with the parkway. In October 1923, Downer, Bethell, and Holleran attended a Greenburg and Scarsdale joint hearing to discuss improvements adjacent to the BRPR to learn what the towns hoped to achieve from the improvements so that plans could be drawn accordingly. The BPC would build the bridge over the parkway drive and the towns would be responsible for the bridge over the river. Both structures were designed by Stoughton. By the following January, Downer reported that the project was ready to advertise for bids. Both bridges were to be built under one construction contract with the BPC supervising the project. Stoughton’s design used rigid-frame construction, but the commission’s engineers still had to raise the grade of Ardsley Road between Garth Road and the pipeline in order to provide enough headroom for the undercrossing. The BPC ordered Stoughton to revise his plans for the bridge over the drive by designing a "lighter form" of parapet. The commission also suggested that the stairs be moved from the south side of Ardsley Road to the north side.(232) Six bids were submitted for the Ardsley Road project. The Phoenix Construction Company, which had also built the Park Avenue Viaduct, was awarded the contract as low bidder. The bridges were still under construction when the final BPC report was submitted in February 1925.(233) Planning for the parkway drive near Fenimore Road and Greenacres Avenue was a challenge due to the close proximity of the two roads and the location of the Hartsdale railroad station on the west side of the parkway. The BPC first suggested a Fenimore grade separation in 1921, but local authorities disagreed on where to build the structure, or structures. Some wanted a Fenimore Road crossing, some thought it should go at Greenacres Avenue, and others called for two separate grade separations. The Fenimore Road location was eventually agreed upon, but the bridge was not built until well after the parkway opened.(234) The suggestion for a grade separation at Fenimore Road may have initially been proposed by the Greenacres Association. An alternate plan presented the possibility of a grade separation structure at Greenacres Avenue. These plans and various other options were discussed during many community and BPC meetings between 1921 and 1925. Matters were complicated by the numerous community groups interested in the project. The primary planning considerations included providing better traffic circulation on the parkway drive and at the train station. The BPC favored a grade crossing at Fenimore Road, which would also improve traffic circulation around the train station. Downer presented a proposed layout in March 1922, but the BPC deferred comment pending a site inspection by commissioner Bethell. Over the next few years, the interested parties examined the options but failed to reach agreement. The BPC made revised plans by combining various suggestions. The BPC remained committed to the grade separation and pledged $75,000 for the project in early 1924, but the parties still could not agree. By mid year, the BPC announced that it would build a grade separation at Fenimore Road at its own expense as soon as the plans could be prepared. The commission warned that if the Village of Scarsdale refused to accept the plan, the BPC would revert to its original plans for an at-grade intersection.(235) |
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Parkway Commission, Minutes, September 12, 1922, 139-142; October 26,
1922, 157-162. |
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