REMNANTS OF AN ABANDONED TUNNEL FROM THE SUBWAY TO THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE

Driving, cycling, and walking are the only ways to get across the Brooklyn Bridge today, but for over half a century, trolley lines and elevated rail cars ran across the bridge. In the early 1900s, as traffic on these elevated rails reached its peak, plans were proposed to help ease congestion by connecting all rail lines from the East River crossings to the subway system. Though never completed, the remnants of this partially built rail route still exist within the bowels of the subway.

The path that would have connected the Brooklyn Bridge to the subway was called the Centre Street Loop, or Brooklyn Loop Line. Plans for this four-track route were approved by the City in 1907. Its intention was to connect all rail lines traveling over the East River crossings of the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, and Williamsburg Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge was to be connected to the loop via two tracks that ran through tunnels from the anchorages of the bridge on the Brooklyn side to the massive subway station below the Municipal Building on the Manhattan side, which was under construction starting in 1909.
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