Visions of West St. Dance in D.O.T. Heads What to do with West Street. The plans for that thoroughfare below Chambers Street are increasingly the subject of controversy and concern as the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site moves forward. Many residents, especially those in Battery Park City, wonder about the impact of a new roadway—perhaps a submerged one—on access to their homes as well as the intrusion of what may be years of construction.   Last month, Tim Gilcrest, director of planning for the state’s Department of Transportation, laid out his agency’s concepts for four possible options, taking pains to say that he had no position on any of them. “We’re here starting a process,” Gilcrist told a Community Board 1 committee last month. “Since Sept. 11 a lot of people have come forward with ideas about what to do with West Street. We’re here today to talk to you about your ideas and concerns.” At-Grade Alternative: The quickest, simplest and cheapest option is to largely replace what was there, with changes reflecting the as-yet-undetermined plans for the site, especially the memorial. The Federal government would pick up the $150 million tab, Gilcrist said, and construction, following a year of planning, would take one year. No environmental review would be needed. Street crossings might be over a series of bridges or through an underground concourse. Pedestrian Deck: A second alternative calls for a 450-foot-long pedestrian crossing above West Street, connecting the World Financial Center to the World Trade Center site. Short tunnel: With this plan, West Street is submerged for 1,100 feet between the World Trade Center site and World Financial Center, with two lanes in each direction above and below grade. The D.O.T. estimates that 65 to 75 percent of traffic would travel along the submerged portion of West Street. Long Tunnel: In this alternative, West Street would be submerged at the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and remain underground “as far as your pocketbook and imagination would allow you to go,” said Gilcrest. The roadway below ground, four lanes in each direction, would carry about 65 percent of traffic, according to the D.O.T. Gilcrest estimated the cost at $3 billion. The environmental study would take five years. The above-ground roadway in this alternative would have two to three lanes in each direction, plus turn lanes. Committee members Nancy Owens and Jeff Galloway questioned spending so much money to remove just one lane of traffic on each side of the street. With interest growing in West Street’s future, Gilcrest’s agency was lauded at the meeting for laying out the alternatives. “It’s the first formal presentation I’ve seen where the critical importance of West Street as a transportation route for Downtown has been discussed,” said Galloway.