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Wisconsin 1200

THE FIFTH AVENUE ASSOCIATION
(INCORPORATED)

358 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY
AT 34th STREET

TO OUR MEMBERS: BULLETIN NO. 16 - JUNE 1926

SIGN THE ENCLOSED PETITION.
It is hoped that every member will sign the enclosed petition and return it to the office of this Association by return mail. The petitions of our members will be combined with those of other civic organizations in the city and presented to the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, to impress upon that Board the united demand of the business men and citizens of this city for the type of traffic relief that such a roadway would be bring.
As previously explained, the new Elevated Express Highway will run from Canal Street to 72d Street and eventually connect with the new Riverside Highway at the foot of Riverside Park. It will remove from the center of the city much of the through traffic which now contributes to congestion and will greatly promote the facility with which merchandise and passengers may be handled at the west side piers. The plan has been endorsed by this Association and is of such importance to our members, and to the city as a whole, that we hope they will aid us by signing the petition and RETURNING IT PROMPTLY TO THE OFFICE OF THE ASSOCIATION.

LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY.
Our Members will be interested to learn of our success in securing the veto of the so-called "O'Brien Bill" which would have permitted skyscraper tenements to be erected around parks and open spaces of the city. The bill was vetoed by Governor Smith after we had organized the opposition of the civic and commercial groups throughout the city, and after a hearing before the Governor at which a representative of this Association argued personally for the disapproval of the measure.
A proposal to release the present restrictions on fruit, soda water and candy stands was introduced in the Board of Aldermen. Our Association protested vigorously against the inclusion of the Fifth Avenue Section in any such plan and, as a result, the bill has been redrafted to preserve the fullest measure of restriction against these objectionable stands in all parts of the Fifth Avenue Section.

GRAND CENTRAL VIADUCT AND PARK AVENUE WIDENING.
The President of the Borough of Manhattan assures us that plans for the construction of the new easterly viaduct around Grand Central Terminal, the extension of the westerly viaduct, and the widening of Park Avenue - as advocated by this Association for seven years - are now nearing completion and will be ready for the letting of contracts during the summer, in order that the actual construction work may begin on a large scale in the early fall; the greater portion of the work to be completed by the end of next year.  Meanwhile the work of strengthening the sub-surface structure is actually under way and no time is being lost in bringing this important traffic improvement to a satisfactory completion.

REPAVING AND LOITERING BELOW 34TH STREET.
Our members in the vicinity of Madison Square Park will be glad to learn that contracts will be advertised for repaving Fifth Avenue from 23rd Street to 25th Street. This stretch of roadway was omitted when lower Fifth Avenue was last repaved, and because of the heavy traffic burden it bears its condition has been steadily growing worse. The new pavement will be particularly desirable in the area now used as a public parking place, for the condition of the pavement in that location, while not detrimental to traffic, has been rather unsightly.
The season of the year is now at hand when extra vigilance is necessary to control the loitering situation during the noonday period. Through the medium of daily inspection by our executive staff and constant contact with the Police Department, the special noonday patrol has been kept at a high point of efficiency, and while fair weather has brought dense crowds, they have been kept moving in an orderly manner and the interference to business and pedestrians has been minimized.

53D STREET CROSSTOWN SUBWAY LINE.
After many months of discussion between our Association and the engineers and commissioners of the Board of Transportation, we are now ready to advise our members officially that the original plan of putting stairway entrances on the Fifth Avenue sidewalk at 53d Street has been definitely abandoned.  In addition, a special effort will be made to minimize interference with business during construction.
The main subway structure will be tunneled at this point, and the surface will be opened only for mezzanine construction and the connection of escalators and stairways. The station control facilities, landings, and stairways, as well as the connecting passage on the mezzanine floor, will be located close to the street surface within the lines of 53d Street, from about fifty feet east of Fifth Avenue to about sixty feet west of Fifth Avenue. The passageway will be arranged so that it may be used by pedestrians for crossing under Fifth Avenue to avoid the heavy street traffic.