On May 26, 1956, Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. announced that a far-off goal of city planners was to improve Park Avenue north of 96th Street by removing the New York Central's tracks from the street. He stated that the plan would require the New York Central to construct a new terminal station in Mott Haven and eliminate service to Grand Central Terminal, which he stated cost a lot to operate. The removal of the tracks would enable for the widening of Park Avenue and the elimination of slums and urban decay. Wagner said that all new housing projects built along the street were setback to provide further room.