New York's Topography Challenges

American Experience
Air Date: 02/17/97 | Rating: NR

Construction on New York's underground rail system began in 1900 with William Barclay Parsons as the project’s chief engineer. The city's topography presented a special engineering challenge for Parsons and his team. With many dips, valleys, patches of quicksand and above-ground infrastructure to take into account, digging underneath Manhattan became a monumental task.

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