(rshsdepot) NJ Transit Airshafts Saved From Demolition

[Jim Dent <jdent1_@_optonline.net>]

An interesting article from the EL List...

http://www.jerseycityhistory.net/airshaft-1.jpeg

Posted 9-2-01: NJ Transit Airshafts Saved From Demolition

The historic Delaware, Lackawanna & Western (DL&W) Railroad Tunnels--now
known as the New Jersey Transit Tunnels and an important artery in its
vast mass transit rail system--are currently undergoing a major
multi-million dollar makeover.  The Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy
immediately expressed concern about this extensive project when it was
announced earlier this year, considering the historical and engineering
significance of these magnificent tunnels.

At this moment, as construction crews work around the clock, the North
Tunnel, which was burrowed through the solid cliffs of the mighty
Palisades and completed in 1876, is having its soaring inner brick
facing removed and resurfaced (e.i. "waterproofed"). Cavernous tunnel
ceilings and floors are being blasted in order to increase height
clearance for planned double-decker cars. Old timber rail ties are being
replaced with cement. Most alarmingly, massive square slabs of blue
granite, which compose the North Tunnel's eastern and western portals,
are being dismantled and "cleaned." These portals are inscribed with the
forgotten names of the brilliant engineers who designed and supervised
the tunnel's construction through stubborn basalt.

The adjacent South Tunnel, constructed in 1908 during the same time that
the nearby Erie Cut and Bergen Arches were being created, will undergo
similar reconstruction next year.

NJ Transit's plans also call for new lighting and ventilation systems,
the details of which have not yet been made public. The existent
ventilation system, which consists of a stunning series of above-ground
air shafts soldiered diagonally across several residential streets, was
at first supposed to be abandoned and sealed off. [The North Tunnel
airshafts are beautiful industrial Romanesque brick structures; the
South Tunnel airshafts are colossal concrete monoliths and are
considered to be among the first poured-in-place concrete structures
erected in Jersey City and possibly New Jersey; both types of airshafts
are roofless and floorless in order to provide proper air circulation].
However, sources revealed that NJ Transit had decided to simply demolish
the airshafts altogether.

Prompt inquiries made by a concerned commissioner on the Jersey City
Historic Preservation Commission, as well as persistent questions put
forth to the NJ State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) in Trenton by
the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy, raised critical concerns for the
airshafts.   As noted, Section 106 approval was granted to NJ Transit
for the tunnels' reconstruction by SHPO, thereby allowing NJ Transit to
carry out its grand tunnel reconstruction project. However, the review
application submitted by NJ Transit mentioned nothing about demolishing
the airshafts.

SHPO investigated the matter and consequently released an August 2001
response with excellent news: NJ Transit WILL NOT demolish the old
airshafts, as instructed by SHPO. In fact, SHPO and NJ Transit have
asked the Jersey City Historic Preservation Commission and the Jersey
City Landmarks Conservancy for advise on adaptive reuse ideas for the
airshafts.  

 
 http://www.jerseycityhistory.net/breakingnews-2.html

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #213
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