Proposed Improvements for the City of New York 
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report. On the North 
River side of Manhat¬ 
tan Island, where con¬ 
gestion is now very 
great, and where traffic 
is bound to increase, 
an overhead, elevated 
street has been sugges¬ 
ted, built along the 
water front to accom¬ 
modate the north and 
south travel, leaving 
the side streets running 
from the water front to 
the interior of the city 
for the east and west 
travel. Approaches 
might extend from this 
elevated street to the 
recreation piers, which 
would be found on the 
roofs of the pier con¬ 
structions at certain 
places, and these at 
suitable intervals can 
be connected with lon¬ 
gitudinal promenades 
open to the public 
under proper safe¬ 
guards so as to afford 
to the dwellers in the 
congested lower parts 
of Manhattan Island 
full access to the water 
front, thereby meeting 
the demand for more 
park space in such dis¬ 
tricts. An analogous 
system of promenades 
connecting the roofs 
of warehouses on the 
docks has been adopted 
at Antwerp with suc¬ 
cess. Stairs for the 
descent of foot passen¬ 
gers and approaches 
by inclined planes for 
horses and vehicles can 
be made at convenient 
places to connect this overhead street with 
the surface of the ground. By way of illus¬ 
tration, this Commission refers to the pro¬ 
posed plan for the Chelsea improvements on 
the North River, between Twelfth and Twenty- 
third Streets, showing the effect of a uniform 
construction of piers and an overhead street. 
Elevated passageways for pedestrians from 
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