ReThink NYC

Thinking Big. Then Thinking Bigger.

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"I'm really excited about the [ReThinkNYC] plan; it's visionary and it's doable." - Robert Paaswell (Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering at The City College of New York) (at Great Hall at Cooper Union)

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NYC Subway - Map Distances vs. Geographic Distances (Source: Playhouse_Animation) (at New York, New York)

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DID YOU KNOW... in 1902, there was a proposal to build a "Grand Union Station" in Mott Haven (Bronx) to help alleviate congestion at Grand Central Station? (Source: Discovering NYC) (at Mott Haven, Bronx)

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DID YOU KNOW... in the 1920's, when the City of New York proposed the Triborough Bridge to connect Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx, Lindenthal, who did not want to spoil the view of his Hell Gate Bridge, devised an alternative design? Instead of constructing what he called a "suspension bridge of cheap pole and washline architecture," Lindenthal suggested adding a second deck to his Hell Gate railroad bridge to carry five lanes of automobile traffic. The alternative plan also called for two spurs: one to East 102nd Street to provide direct access to Central Park, and another at East 116th Street. Today, double decking the Hell Gate Bridge could provide a great opportunity for the TriboroX subway proposal. (Source: NYCroads) (at Hell Gate Bridge)

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DID YOU KNOW... Port Morris, The Bronx was once proposed to be the site of the 1883 World's Fair Exhibition? The development would have featured a railroad station, convention center, and open parkland on the waterfront. Although it was never built, The ReThinkNYC Plan incorporates aspects of this very proposal. (Source: The New York Public Library) (at Port Morris, Bronx)

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In total, sprawl costs the US economy roughly $600 billion a year in direct costs related to inefficient land usage and car dependency, and another $400 billion in indirect costs from traffic congestion, pollution, and the like. The total bill: a whopping $1 trillion a year! (Source: Richard Florida, Rutgers Regional Report, London School of Economics). (at New York, New York)

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"It costs Manhattan employers $14.5 million for every hour train commuters from New Jersey and Long Island are delayed, according to the Partnership for New York City. For riders, it's about more than money. It's time and mental health." (Source: Bloomberg) (at New York, New York)

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Yesterday, Massachusetts-based CommonWealth Magazine published a very thoughtful article about the ReThink NYC Plan and how it relates to Boston's proposed North-South Rail Link. We are grateful that the work we are doing is inspiring people, even beyond New York! (at Boston, Massachusetts)

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Thank you @archpaper for sharing our petition to fix Penn Station! If you haven't already, you can sign it here: tinyurl.com/NYCgateway (at New York, New York)

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DID YOU KNOW... the coal-fired power plant of the original Penn Station still exists on 31st Street? The building shares the same block as the Capuchin Monastery of the Church of St. John (1872), which may have been one of the main reasons this block was left out of the proposal for the Access to the Region's Core (ARC). Currently, as part of the Gateway Project, Amtrak plans to demolish this Midtown block to make way for "Penn Station South," a multi-billion dollar terminal annex that would make through-running service at Penn much less feasible. (Source: Untapped Cities) (at New York, New York)

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Please help our team build support for the new tunnels under the Hudson, which are the foundation of our #ReThinkNYC plan. If you agree, please SIGN and SHARE this petition: www.tinyurl.com/nycgateway (at New York, New York)

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One Rail-Station Design May Be Just the Ticket to Ease Congestion

Through-running stations, where trains don’t delay rail traffic by stopping and waiting to reverse course before they continue, are in place in many big cities—but not New York, where congestion is severe.

The Wall Street Journal recently published this fantastic article on the ReThinkNYC plan to transform Penn Station.

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DID YOU KNOW... a 1930s proposal for the NYC Subway included an extension of the IND Queens Boulevard Line from Jamaica-179 St (presently, the last stop of the F Train) to Springfield Blvd/Braddock Ave? Although the extension was never built, a very wide median was added along Hillside Ave (between 218th St and 229th St) to accommodate construction of what would have been the last stop on the line. (at Queens Village, Queens)

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DID YOU KNOW... that the idea to construct a commuter rail station in Sunnyside, Queens is nearly 100 years old? This 1930s proposal featured a tower above the station. (Source: Greater Astoria Historical Society) (at Queens Plaza)

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The modified Secaucus Station will offer free transfers between Amtrak long-distance rail, commuter rail, the NYC Subway, PATH, as well as local and regional bus routes. Additionally, the station could be connected to an expanded light rail network that will link to Jersey City, Newark, and the surrounding communities. (at Secaucus Junction)

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#ReThinkNYC's RUN proposal is divided into two phases. To learn more about the phasing strategy of our plan, go to www.rethinknyc.org/the-plan (at New York, New York)

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#ReThinkNYC modifications to #PennStation. Through-running trains, wider platforms, more stairs/escalators, and easier platform access. (at 34th Street – Penn Station)