Description
Follows is a description of part of a massive Public Works Administration (PWA) grade crossing elimination project, undertaken on the South Beach Branch (a.k.a. “East Shore” branch) of the Staten Island Railway. Most of the structures created are no longer extant.
“From 1934-1937 SIRT embarked on an ambitious grade crossing elimination project, part of which involved the East Shore subdivision in 1934/5 from St. George to Wentworth Avenue. The tracks were raised above grade between Stapleton and Clifton. Grade crossings were taken out along the South Beach line by sinking the streets, raising the rails or a combination of both. Some residential streets were simply blocked off permanently, except for Sand Land at the original South Beach station.
New stations were built Rosebank, Belair Road, Fort Wadsworth and Cedar Avenue. Bachmann’s station, which was .2 mile west of Rosebank and built mainly for workers at the Bachmann Brewery was torn town.”
Source notes
"History of the Staten Island Railway by Ed Bommer through correspondence" (link from Wikipedia, accessed Mar. 2018)
National Archives: Record Group 135: Public Works Administration; Projects Control Division; Entry 52: Indices to Non-Federal Projects; Report No. 5: Status of All Completed Non-Federal Allotted Projects, page 22.
Project originally submitted by Evan Kalish on March 8, 2018.
We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal project site.
SUBMIT MORE INFORMATION OR PHOTOGRAPHS FOR THIS SITE