In the early 1900s , Dr. T. Kenard Thomson advise increase NYC ’s property value by creating a land bridge between Manhattan and Brooklyn , work up an island off the Jersey shore , and constructing a “ New Manhattan ” directly below the old one .
In 1916 , Thomson , an engineer and urban deviser employ by the City of New York , drop a line a piece in Popular Science advocating a radical elaboration of New York ’s land by regenerate it from the sea . The plan would cost as much as the Panama Canal and include such flourish as diverting the East River through Long Island ( thus connect Manhattan and Brooklyn ) , creating novel land off the seashore of New Jersey , and connecting Staten Island to Manhattan with underground subway system tunnel . Said Thomson :
I purport to add , by a series of engineering projects , fifty hearty miles to Greater New York ’s arena and port foothold . At the same clock time this will mean an improver of one hundred miles of new water - front . New York ’s City Hall would become the plaza of a really keen New York , feature a r of twenty - five miles , and within that traffic circle there would be ample room for a universe of twenty - five millions , the entire project to be carry out within a few years . Many have said ‘ It ca n’t be done . ’ The majority of engineers , however , have acknowledged the possibility , and I have receive one C of letters of boost .
Thomson count on that construction would be in the neighborhood of $ 50 - 100 million ( 1916 dollars , natch ) per yr ( over an unspecified amount of time ) . When this plan fail to gain impulse , he scaled down his proposal . He would now affix a “ New Manhattan ” to the Battery . This new island would subsume Governor ’s Island and possibly the Statue of Liberty . The best feature was the “ Four Mile Boulevard ” that tie Manhattan and Staten Island ; this avenue included an airplane landing place landing strip stacked on top of a road and railway in some crazed triple - Dekker sandwich of modernness .
you could record more about Thomson ’s design atStrange Maps .
Gawker
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