TUNNELS UNDER CITY STREETS.

The three most common purposes of tunnels under city streets are: to provide for the removal of railway tracks from the street surface, and separate the street railway traffic from the vehicular and pedestrian traffic; to provide for rapid transit railways from the business section to the outlying residence districts of the city; and to provide conduits for sewage or subways for water and gas mains, sewers, wires, etc. Within recent years the greatest works of tunneling under city streets have been designed and carried out to furnish improved transit facilities.

Conditions of Work.

—The construction of tunnels under city streets may be divided into two classes, which may be briefly defined as shallow tunnels and deep tunnels. Shallow tunnels, or those constructed at a small depth beneath the surface, are usually built by one of the cut-and-cover methods; deep tunnels, or those built at a great depth, beneath the surface are constructed by any of the various methods of tunneling described in this book, the choice of the method depending upon the character of the material penetrated, and the local conditions.

In building tunnels under city streets the first duty of the engineer is to disturb as little as possible the various existing structures and the activities for which these structures and the street are designed. The character of the difficulties encountered in performing this duty will depend upon the depth at which the tunnel is driven. In constructing shallow tunnels by the cut-and-cover method care has to be taken first of all not to disturb the street traffic any more than is absolutely necessary. This condition precludes the single trench method of open cut tunneling in all places where the street traffic is at all dense, and compels the engineer to use the methods employed in Paris and New York, as previously described, or else the transverse trench or slice method employed in the Boston Subway.

These methods have to be modified when the work is done on streets having underground trolley and cable roads, and in which are located gas and water pipes, conduits for wires, etc. Where underground trolley or cable railways are encountered, a common mode of procedure is to excavate parallel side trenches for the side walls, and turn the roof arch until it reaches the conduit carrying the cables or wires. The earth is then removed from beneath the conduit structure in small sections, and the arch completed as each section is opened. As fast as the arch is completed the conduit structure is supported on it. Where pipes are encountered they may be supported by means of chains, suspending them from heavy cross-beams, or by means of strutting, or they may be removed and rebuilt at a new level. Generally the conditions require a different solution of this problem at different points.

Another serious difficulty of tunneling under city streets arises from the danger of disturbing the foundations of the adjacent buildings. This danger exists only where the depth of the tunnel excavation extends below the depth of the building foundations, and where the material penetrated is soft ground. Where the tunnel penetrates rock there is no danger of disturbing the building foundations. To prevent trouble of this character requires simply that the excavation of the tunnel be so conducted that there is no inflow of the surrounding material, which may, by causing a settlement of the neighboring material, allow the foundations resting on it to sink.

The Baltimore Belt tunnel, described in a [preceding chapter], is an example of the method of work adopted in constructing a tunnel under city streets through very soft ground. This may be classed as a deep tunnel. Another method of deep tunneling under city streets is the shield method, examples of which are given in a [succeeding chapter]. Two notable examples of cut-and-cover methods of tunneling are the Boston Subway and the New York Rapid Transit Ry., a description of which follows.

Boston Subway.

—The Boston Subway may be defined as the underground terminal system of the surface street railway system of the city, and as such it comprises various branches, loops, and stations. The subway begins at the Public Garden on Boylston St., near Charles St., and passes with double tracks under Boylston St. to its intersection with Tremont St., where it meets the other double-track branch, passing under Tremont St. and beginning at its intersection with Shawmut Ave. From their intersection at Tremont and Boylston streets the two double-track branches proceed under Tremont St. with four tracks to Scollay Square. At Scollay Square the subway divides again into two double-track branches, one passing under Hanover St., and the other under Washington St. At the intersection of Hanover and Washington streets the two double-track branches combine again into a four-track line, which runs under Washington St. to its terminus at Haymarket Square, where it comes to the surface by means of an incline. The subway, therefore, has three portals or entrances, located respectively at Boylston St., Shawmut Ave., and Haymarket Square. It also has five stations and two loops, the former being located at Boylston St., Park St., Scollay Square, Adams Square, and Haymarket Square, and the latter at Park St. and Adams Square. The total length of the subway is 10,810 ft.

Material Penetrated.

—The material met with in constructing the subway was alluvial in character, the lower strata being generally composed of blue clay and sand, and the upper strata of more loose soil, such as loam, oyster shells, gravel, and peat. At many points the material was so stable that the walls of the excavation would stand vertical for some time after excavation. Surface water was encountered, but generally in small quantities, except near the Boylston St. portal, where it was so plentiful as to cause some trouble.

Fig. 115.—Wide Arch Section, Boston Subway.

Cross-Section.

—The subway being built for two tracks in some places and for four tracks in other places, it was necessary to vary the form and dimensions of the cross-section. The cross-sections actually adopted are of three types. [Fig. 115] shows the section known as the wide-arch type, in which the lining is solid masonry. The second type was known as the double-barrel section, and is shown by [Fig. 116]. The third type of section is shown by [Fig. 117]. The lining consists of steel columns carrying transverse roof girders, the roof girders being filled between with arches, and the wall columns having concrete walls between them. The wide-arch type and the double-barrel type of sections were employed in some portions of the Tremont St. line, where the traffic was very dense, since it was possible to construct them without opening the street. Much of the wide-arch line was constructed by the use of the roof shield, which is described in the [succeeding chapter] on the shield system of tunneling.

Fig. 116.—Double-Barrel Section, Boston Subway.

Methods of Construction.

—Several different methods were employed in constructing the subway. Where ample space was available, the single wide trench method of cut-and-cover construction was employed, the earth being removed as fast as excavated. In the streets, except where regular tunneling was resorted to, the parallel trench or transverse trench cut-and-cover methods were employed.

In the transverse trench method, trenches about 12 ft. wide were excavated across the street, their length being equal to the extreme transverse width of the tunnel lining, and their depth being equal to the depth of the tunnel floor. These trenches were begun during the night, and immediately roofed over with a timber platform flush with the street surface. Under these platforms the excavation was completed and the lining built. As each trench or “slice” was completed, the street above it was restored and the platform reconstructed over the succeeding trench or slice. During the construction of each slice the street traffic, including the street cars, was carried by the timber platform.

Fig. 117.—Four-Track Rectangular Section, Boston Subway.

[Larger illustration]

Fig. 118.—Section Showing Slice Method of Construction, Boston Subway.

[Larger illustration]

In the parallel trench method, short parallel trenches were dug for the opposite side walls, and also for the intermediate columns, and completely roofed over during the night. Under this roofing the masonry of the side walls and column foundations and the columns themselves were erected. When the side walls and columns had been erected, the surface of the street between them was removed, the roof beams laid, and a platform covering erected, as shown by [Fig. 118]. This roofing work was also done at night. The subsequent work of building the roof arches, removing the remainder of the earth, and constructing the invert, was carried on underneath the platform covering which carried the street traffic in the meantime. The successive repetition of the processes described constructed the subway.

Where the traffic was very dense on the street above, tunneling was resorted to. For small portions of this work the excavation was done in the ordinary way, using timber strutting, but much the greater portion of the tunnel work was performed by means of a roof shield. In the latter case, the side walls were first built in small bottom side drifts and were fitted with tracks on top to carry the roof shield. The construction and operation of this shield are described fully in the [succeeding chapter] on the shield system of tunneling.

Masonry.

—The masonry of the inclined approaches to the subway consists simply of two parallel stone masonry retaining walls. In the wide-arch and double-barrel tunnel sections, the side walls are of concrete and the roof arches are of brick masonry. In the other parts of the subway the masonry consists of brick jack arches sprung between the roof beams and covered with concrete, of concrete walls embedding the side columns, and of the concrete invert and foundations for the columns. [Figs. 115] to [118] inclusive show the general details of the masonry work for each of the three sections. The inside of the lining masonry is painted throughout with white paint.

Stations.

—The design and construction of the stations for the Boston Subway were made the subjects of considerable thought. All the stations consist of two island platforms of artificial stone having stairways leading to the street above. The platforms are made 1 ft. higher than the rails. The station structure itself is built of steel columns and roof beams with brick roof arches and concrete side walls. Its interior is lined with white enameled tiles. The intermediate columns are cased with wood, and have circular wooden seats at their bottoms. Each stairway is covered by a light housing, consisting of a steel framework with a copper covering and an interior wood and tile finish.

Ventilation.

—The subway is ventilated by means of exhaust fans located in seven fan chambers, some of which contain two fans, and others only one fan. Each of the fans has a capacity of from 30,000 to 37,000 cu. ft. of air per minute, and is driven by electric motor, taking current from the trolley wires. This system of ventilation has worked satisfactorily.

Disposal of Rain Water.

—The rain water which enters the subway from the inclined entrances, together with that from leakage, is lifted from 12 ft. to 18 ft. by automatic electric pumps to the city sewers. The subway has pump-wells at the Public Garden, at Eliot St., Adams Square, and Haymarket Square. In each of these wells are two vertical submerged centrifugal pumps made entirely of composition metal. In each chamber above, are two electric motors operating the pumps. Each motor is started and stopped according to the height of water by means of a float and an automatic release starting box. The floats are so placed that only one pump is usually brought into use. The other, however, comes into service in case the first pump is out of order or the water enters more rapidly than one pump can dispose of it. In the latter case, both motors continue to run until the same low level has been reached.

Very little dampness except from atmospheric condensation is to be found on the interior walls or roof of the subway, although numerous discolored patches, caused by dampness and dust, may be seen on some parts of the walls. Substantially all of the leakage comes through the small drains in the invert leading from hollows left in the side walls. Careful measurement was taken at the end of an unusually wet season to determine the actual amount of leakage, and the total amount for the entire subway was found to be about 81 gallons per minute.

Estimated Quantities.

—The estimated quantities of material used in constructing the subway were as follows:

Excavation	369,450	cu.	yds.
Concrete	75,660	„	„
Brick	11,105	„	„
Steel	8,105	tons
Granite	2,285	cu.	yds.
Piles	117,925	lin.	ft.
Ribbed tiles	12,440	sq.	yds.
Plaster	88,190	„	„
Waterproofing (asphalt coating)	117,980	„	„
Artificial stone	6,790	„	„
Enameled brick	2,210	„	„
Enameled tiles	2,855	„	„

Cost of the Subway.

—The estimated cost of the subway made before the work was begun was approximately $4,000,000, and the cost of construction did not exceed $3,700,000. This includes ventilating and pump chambers, changes of water and gas pipes, sewers and other structures, administration, engineering, interest on bonds, and all cost whatsoever. Dividing this number by the total length we obtain a cost per linear foot of $342.30.

New York Rapid Transit Railway.

—The project of an underground rapid transit railway to run the entire length of Manhattan Island was originated some years previous to 1890. In 1894, however, a Rapid Transit Commission was appointed to prepare plans for such a road, and after a large amount of trouble and delay this commission awarded the contract for construction to Mr. John B. McDonald of New York City, on Jan. 15, 1900.

Route.

—The road starts from a loop which encircles the City Hall Park. Within this loop the tunnel construction is two-track; but where the main line leaves the loop, all four tracks come to the same level, and continue side by side thereafter except at the points which will be noted as the description proceeds. Proceeding from the loop, the four-track line passes under Center and Elm Streets. It continues under Lafayette Place, across Astor Place and private property between Astor Place and Ninth St. to Fourth Ave. The road then passes under Fourth and Park Avenues until 42d St. is reached. At this point the line turns west along 42d St., which it follows to Broadway. It turns northward again under Broadway to the boulevard, crossing the Circle at 59th St. The road then follows the boulevard until 97th St. is reached, where the four-track line is separated into two double-track lines.

At a suitable point north of 96th St. the outside tracks rise so as to permit the inside tracks, on reaching a point near 103d St., to curve to the right, passing under the north-bound track, and to continue thence across and under private property to 104th St. From there the two-track tunnel goes under 104th St. and Central Park to 110th St., near Lenox Ave.; thence under Lenox Ave to a point near 142d St.; thence across and under private property and the intervening streets to the Harlem River. The road passes under the Harlem River and across and under private property to 149th St., which street it follows to Third Ave., and then passes under Westchester Ave., where, at a convenient point, the tracks emerge from the tunnel and are carried on a viaduct along and over Westchester Ave., Southern Boulevard, and Boston Road to Bronx Park. This portion of the line, from 96th St. to Bronx Park, is known as the East Side Line.

From the northern side of 96th St. the outside tracks rise and after crossing over the inside tracks they are brought together on a location under the center line of the street and proceed along under the boulevard to a point between 122d and 123d Streets. At this point the tracks commence to emerge from the tunnel, and are carried on a viaduct along and over the boulevard at a point between 134th and 135th Streets, where they again pass into the tunnel under and along the boulevard and Eleventh Ave. to a point about 1350 ft. north of the center line of 190th St. There the tracks again emerge from the tunnel, and are carried on a viaduct across and over private property to Elwood St., and over and along Elwood St. to Kingsbridge St. to Kingsbridge Ave., private property, the Harlem Ship Canal and Spuyten Duyvil Creek, private property, Riverdale Ave., and Broadway to a terminus near Van Cortland Park. That portion of the line from 96th St. to the above-mentioned terminus at Van Cortland Park is known as the West Side Line.

The total length of the rapid transit road, including the parts above and below the surface ground of the streets, as well as both the East and West Side Lines, is about 22¹⁄₂ miles.

Material Penetrated.

—The soil through which the road was excavated was a varied one. The lower portion of the road, or the part including the loop up to nearly Fourth St., was excavated through loose soil, but from Fourth St. to the ends it was excavated in rock. The loose soil forming the southern part of Manhattan Island is chiefly composed of clay, sand, and old rubbish—a soil very easy to excavate. Water was met at some points, but not in such quantities as to be a serious inconvenience. From Fourth St. to the ends of both the east and west side lines, the soil was chiefly composed of rock of gneissoid and mica-schistose character, these rocks prevailing nearly throughout the whole of Manhattan Island. The rock, as a rule, was not compact, but full of seams and fissures, and at many points it was found disintegrated and alternated with strata of loose soils, and even pockets of quicksand were met with along the line of the road.

Cross-Sections.

—The section of the underground road is of three different types,—the rectangular, the barrel-vault, and the circular. The rectangular section. [Fig. 119], is used for the greater part of the road, of which a portion is for four tracks and a portion for two tracks. The dimensions adopted for the four tracks are 50 × 13 ft., and for the double tracks 25 × 13 ft. The barrel-vault section, composed of a polycentric arch, having the flattest curve at the crown, has been adopted for the tunnels under Park Avenue—while the semicircular arch is used for all the other portions of the road to be tunneled. The circular section of 15-ft. diameter is used under the Harlem River, and being for single track, two parallel tunnels were built side by side.

Fig. 119.—Double-Track Section, New York Rapid Transit Railway.

[Larger illustration]

The main line from the City Hall loop to about 102d St. consists of four tracks built side by side in one conduit, except for that portion under the present Fourth Ave. tunnel where two parallel double-track tunnels are employed. The West Side Line will consist of double tracks laid in one conduit, except across Manhattan St. and beyond 190th St., where it is carried on an elevated structure. The East Side Line consists of a double-track tunnel driven from 102d St., and the boulevard under Central Park to 110th St. and Lenox Ave., and two parallel circular tunnels excavated under the Harlem River,—the other portions of the road being double-track, subway and elevated structure.

Methods of Excavation.

—Both the double-and four-track subway were built by using the different varieties of the cut-and-cover method. The single wide-trench method was used for the construction of the double-track line and also for the construction of the four-track line where the local conditions allowed it. The single narrow-trench method was used for the construction of the four-track subway at 42d St., to meet with the peculiar conditions of the traffic. Almost the total length of the four-track line of the subway was built by means of the two parallel side trenches. The slice method, so successfully employed in the Boston Subway, was used only on 42d St. west of 6th Avenue.

Lining.

—The lining of the subway is of concrete, carried by a framework of steel. The floor consists of a foundation layer of concrete at least eight inches thick on good foundation, but thicker, according to conditions, where the foundation is bad. On top of this is placed another layer of concrete, with a layer of waterproofing between the two. In this top layer are set the stone pedestals for the steel columns, and the members making up the tracks.

In the four-track subway, the steel framework consists of transverse bents of columns, and I-beams spaced about five feet apart along the tunnel. The three interior columns of each bent are built-up bulb-angle and plate columns of H-section. The wall columns are I-beams, as are also the roof beams; between the I-beams, wall columns, and roof beams there is a concrete filling, so that the roof of the subway will be made up of concrete arches resting on the flanges of the I-beams of the roof. The concrete used is of one part Portland cement, two parts sand, and four parts broken stones. The double-track subway is built in the same way, except that only one column is placed between the tracks for the support of the roof.

All the concrete masonry of the roof, foundations, and side walls contains a layer of waterproofing, so as to keep perfectly dry the underground road, and prevent the percolation of water. This waterproofing is made up as follows: On the lowest stratum of concrete, whose surface is made as smooth as possible, a layer of hot asphalt is spread. On this asphalt are immediately laid sheets or rolls of felt; another layer of hot asphalt is then spread over the felt, and then another layer of felt laid, and so on, until no less than two, and no more than six, layers of felt are laid, with the felt between layers of asphalt. On top of the upper surface of asphalt the remainder of the concrete is put in place so as to reach the required thickness of the concrete wall.

Fig. 120.—Park Avenue Deep Tunnel Construction, New York Rapid Transit Railway.

Tunnels.

—When the distance between the roof of the proposed structure and the street was 20 ft. or over, the Standard Subway construction was replaced by tunnels. Three important tunnels have been constructed along the line of the New York Rapid Transit and these are located between 33d and 42d Streets on Park Ave., under Central Park northeast of 104th St. and under Broadway north of 152d St. The Park Ave. construction ([Fig. 120]) consists of two parallel double-track tunnels, located on each side of the street, and about 10 ft. below the present tunnel. The soil being composed of good rock, the tunnels were driven by a wide heading, and one bench, since no strutting was required, and the masonry lining, even of the roof, was left far behind the front of the excavation. The masonry lining consists of concrete walls and brick arches. The tunnels under Central Park and under Broadway being driven through a similar rock, the same method of excavation and the same manner of lining was used.

The tunnel under the Harlem River was driven through soft ground; and it was constructed as a submarine tunnel, according to the caisson process. The tunnels were lined with iron made up of segments, with radial and circumferential flanges. Concrete was placed inside and flush with the flanges.

Fig. 121.—Harlem River Tunnel, New York Rapid Transit Railway.

[Larger illustration]

The tracks, both in the subway and tunnels, are an intimate part of the concrete flooring. The rail rests on a continuous bearing of wooden blocks, laid with the grain running transversely with respect to the line of the rail, and held in place by two channel iron guard rails. The guard rails are bolted to metal cross-ties embedded in the concrete.

Viaduct.

—A considerable portion of the double-track branch lines north of 103d St. is viaduct, or elevated structure. The viaduct construction on the West Side Line extends, including approaches, from 122d St. to very near 135th St. Of this distance, 2018 ft. 8 ins. are viaduct proper, consisting of plate girder spans carried by trestle bents at the ends, and by trestle towers for the central portion. The columns of the bents and towers are built-up bulb-angle and plate columns of H-section of the same form as those used in the bents inside the subway. The approaches proper are built of masonry. The elevated line proper consists of plate girder spans, supported on plate cross girders carried by columns.

Stations.

—Many stations are built along the line. These are located on each side of the street. The entrances at the stations consist of iron framework, with glass roofs covering the descending stairways. The passageways leading down are walled with white enameled bricks and wainscoted with slabs of marble. The stations for the local trains are located on each side of the road close to the walls, since the outside tracks are reserved for the local trains, while the middle ones are reserved for the expresses. The few stations for the express trains are located between the middle and outside tracks. Stations are provided with all the conveniences required, having toilet rooms, news stands, benches, etc., and are lighted day and night by numerous arc lamps.

General.

—The contractor completed the work in four years. No difficulty was encountered in doing this, since the great extension of the road and the great width of the avenues under which it runs allowed work all along the line at the same time. The work, briefly summarized, comprises the following items:—

Length of all sections, ft.		109,570
Total excavation of earth, cu. yds.		1,700,228
Earth to be filled back, cu. yds.		773,093
Rock excavated, cu. yds.		921,128
Rock tunneled, cu. yds.		368,606
Steel used in structure, tons		65,044
Cast iron used, tons		7,901
Concrete, cu. yds.		489,122
Brick, cu. yds.		18,519
Waterproofing, sq. yds.		775,795
Vault lights, sq. yds.		6,640
Local stations, number		43
Express stations, number		5
Station elevators, number		10
Track	total, lin. ft.	305,380
„	underground, lin. ft.	245,514
„	elevated, lin. ft.	59,766

In addition to the construction of the railway itself, it was necessary to construct or reconstruct certain sewers, and to adjust, readjust, and maintain street railway lines, water pipes, subways, and other surface and subsurface structures, and to relay street pavements.

The total cost of the work, according to the contract signed by Mr. McDonald, was $35,000,000. Dividing this amount by the total length of the road, which is 109,570 lineal feet, we have the unit cost a lineal foot $315, or a little less than unit of cost of the Boston Subway, which was $342 per lineal foot.

The road belongs to the city. The contractor acts as an agent for the city in carrying out the work, and he is the leaser of the road for fifty years. The work was paid for as soon as the various parts of the road were completed, and the money was obtained from an issue of city bonds. During the fifty years’ lease the contractor will pay the interest plus 1% of the face value of the bonds. This 1% goes to the sinking-fund, which within the fifty years at compound interest forms the total sum required for the redemption of bonds.

This first New York Subway has been extended to Brooklyn, and more lines will be built so as to form a complete underground railway system to accommodate the ever-increasing traveling crowd of the American metropolis. No new method of construction has been devised yet. The only variation from the illustrated methods has been where the subway is built underneath the Elevated Road which had to be strongly supported during the construction of the subway. This has been done in two different ways, either by supporting the columns of the Elevated Road by means of two wooden A-frames abutting at the top and leaving a large space close to the foot of the column where a pit was excavated to the required depth of the subway, or by attaching the columns to long iron girders placed longitudinally and resting with both ends in firm soil.