Talk:63rd Street Tunnel/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: Dom497 (talk · contribs) 12:28, 9 September 2019 (UTC)

Upon a random check it seems this article has many dead references. For example, #14, #38, #54, and #84 (this isn't a full list; there may be more). I'll give the author 7 days to go through all the sources to make sure they are all in working order before I continue with a full review.--Dom497 (talk) 12:28, 9 September 2019 (UTC)

@Dom497: Thanks for taking up the review. I added archives to all of the references. epicgenius (talk) 12:52, 9 September 2019 (UTC)

Review

GA review – see WP:WIAGA for criteria

1. Is it well written?

   A. The prose is clear and concise, and the spelling and grammar are correct:

   B. It complies with the manual of style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation:

2. Is it verifiable with no original research?

   A. It contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline:

   B. All in-line citations are from reliable sources, including those for direct quotations, statistics, published opinion, counter-intuitive or controversial statements that are challenged or likely to be challenged, and contentious material relating to living persons—science-based articles should follow the scientific citation guidelines:

   C. It contains no original research:

   D. It contains no copyright violations nor plagiarism:

3. Is it broad in its coverage?

   A. It addresses the main aspects of the topic:

   B. It stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style):

4. Is it neutral?

   It represents viewpoints fairly and without editorial bias, giving due weight to each:

5. Is it stable?

   It does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute:

6. Is it illustrated, if possible, by images?

   A. Images are tagged with their copyright status, and valid fair use rationales are provided for non-free content:

   B. Images are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions:

7. Overall:

   Pass or Fail:

Comments

• The second paragraph in the lead seems to focus on the construction/opening of the tunnel. However, the first sentence specifies what the purpose of the upper deck is.
  • @Dom497: Thanks for these comments. I moved that first sentence of the second paragraph, to the third paragraph. epicgenius (talk) 00:59, 13 September 2019 (UTC)
• "following the expected completion of the East Side Access project in 2022 or 2023" - "ollowing the expected completion of the East Side Access project by 2023"
  • Fixed.
• Within the first few sentences of the "Planning" section, each sentence starts with a date. This is more of a personal opinion than a GA requirement but I think some of the sentences could be restructured to avoid having all the sentences start with a date (which I think would help improve the flow).
  • Fixed anyway.
• "A third track was added...", and then the next sentence starts with "A fourth track was added..." - Same comment as my previous bullet point, or you could combine these sentences into one.
  • I don't think these three sentences can fit into one sentence without it becoming a run-on. epicgenius (talk) 00:59, 13 September 2019 (UTC)
• Just finished reading the Planning section. So is the lower deck being used right now? The lead implies the lower deck isn't be used until 2023. If the lower deck isn't be used, I think it would be good to provide some context in the lead why the lower deck is finally entering service in 2023.
  • Done.
• "One section of the tunnel was controversial because it called for 1,500 feet (460 m) of cut-and-cover tunneling. which required digging an open trench through Central Park in Manhattan" - I believe the period should be a comma and I would also suggest a minor reword: "One section of the tunnel was controversial because it called for 1,500 feet (460 m) of cut-and-cover tunneling, which would require digging an open trench through Central Park".
  • Done.
• "The NYCTA agreed to halve the width of the proposed 75-foot (23 m)-wide cut, which halved the area of affected parkland" - Not a huge fan of repeating the word "halved". Maybe something like this would be better: "The NYCTA agreed to halve the width of the proposed 75-foot (23 m)-wide cut, which decreased the area of affected parkland proportionally".
  • Done.
• I know no article exists but is "Heckscher Playground" significant enough to have a red-link?
  • Yes, it is Central Park's largest playground.
• "The NYCTA also agreed to reduce disruption to the Heckscher Playground, located above the proposed subway tunnel's path, by cutting construction time from three years to two years and by constructing a temporary playground nearby" - How did they manage to cut construction by a year?
  • By cutting bureaucracy. The MTA has never been particularly efficient, but back in the day, at least they tried. epicgenius (talk) 00:59, 13 September 2019 (UTC)
• "In March, the NYCTA again sought construction bids" - IMO, not really a useful sentence since the following sentence aren't really related in a direct way.
  • Removed.
• "and the Long Island Rail Road extension through the lower level of the 63rd Street tunnel was canceled for the foreseeable future" - I think this is the context that is missing in the lead.
  • Fixed.
• "By January 1976, the tunnel was 95% complete." - Can we try to merge this sentence with the sentence that follows after?
  • Done.
• "The main cause of the delay was the 5.8-mile "super express" in Queens" - What is a "super express"?
  • Added a link.
• "In May 1978, the Times noted..." - The New York Times? However, I don't think this sentence adds any value to the article and could be removed.
  • Removed that last sentence.
• "..."even though "officials knew that the tunnel would never be used."" - Quotes aren't needed
  • Rephrased.
• "Richard Ravitch, the MTA chairman, said that to stop the work was impossible or so costly as to make it impractical subsequent to the construction of the subway portion." - There is an extra quotation mark at the end that can be removed; however, can we also reword this sentence to something like: "Richard Ravitch, the MTA chairman, said that stopping construction would be so costly as to make it impractical subsequent to the construction of the subway portion." (it's never impossible to stop construction)
  • There is supposed to be a quotation mark before "impossible or so costly". That is the start of Ravitch's quote. I started it at "so costly". epicgenius (talk) 00:59, 13 September 2019 (UTC)
• "On February 6, 1987, the MTA approved a new plan to have the tunnel open to 21st Street/Queensbridge by October 1989" - Can we not start this sentence with a date? Much of the article is reading like a bullet point list.
  • Fixed.

Review to continue later. Feel free to ask for clarification for any of my points. --Dom497 (talk) 01:38, 12 September 2019 (UTC)

• "involved a number of other elements" - Are any of these elements significant? If so, it might be worth including one or two.
  • Added two examples.
• "By the turn of the century, plans had resurfaced to bring LIRR service to East Midtown. In 1995, officials began the planning process for such a link" - "By the turn of the century, plans originating from 1995 had resurfaced to bring LIRR service to East Midtown."
  • Fixed.
• "In May 2001, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)..." - "Two months later, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)..."
  • Fixed.
• "The September 11 attacks underscored the need to bring LIRR service to Grand Central" - Why?
  • Added a quote.
• "The contract went to Dragados/Judlau, a joint American–Spanish venture whose American headquarters were in College Point, Queens, close to the East Side Access site" - I don't think included details about the construction company are significant enough for the context of this article.
• "Pile Foundation Construction Company" - Same comment as above.
• "Tutor Perini Corporation" - Same comment as above...and above. 😉
  • All fixed.
• "The first tracks on the lower level were laid in September 2017.[65] The completion of the project has been pushed back repeatedly from an initial opening date of 2009" - "The first tracks on the lower level were laid in September 2017 even though the project was initially scheduled to be completed by 2009."
  • Moved the track-laying downward to the "Usage" section.
• "Two tubes were placed on each side of Roosevelt Island.[75] The tubes were 38-foot-square (12 m) prefabricated sections and contained four openings, two for the pair of tracks on each level." - "Two tubes were placed on each side of Roosevelt Island each made up of 38-foot-square (12 m) prefabricated sections" (I think mentioning that there are 4 openings can be implied at this point in the article).
  • Done.
• "The tunnel was placed into partial service in 1989 and was nicknamed the "tunnel to nowhere" due to its lack of connections in Queens" - This is already mentioned earlier in the article.
  • Removed duplication.
• There seems to be some overlap (duplicate content) between the "Usage" section and the rest of the article. I would take a look at this section and see if either all of its contents can be merged into the rest of the article or remove the duplicate content from the section.
  • I removed the duplicate contents. This is supposed to contain the current usage of the tunnel, and a short synopsis of its usage. epicgenius (talk) 17:39, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Overall, good work. On hold for 7-days. Lemme know if you need clarification on anything!--Dom497 (talk) 23:36, 15 September 2019 (UTC)

• @Dom497: Thanks for the review. I have addressed the remaining points. epicgenius (talk) 17:39, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

Pass!--Dom497 (talk) 19:59, 19 September 2019 (UTC)