Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-20
HIGHWAY EXTENSION
Commissioners Proposed Amend
ments to the Law.
URGING THE PARKWAY PLAN
Suburban Sewers and the General
Sewerage System.
COST OF THE DIRK

Shortly after the highway act vas de-
clared unconstitutional, the Commissioners
discussed at length the advisability Of
abandoning it altogether and offering a
bill covering the defects as pointed out by
the court. After mature elaboration, how
ever, with their attorney, they concluded
that the only hope of obtaining legisla-
ton lay in an amendment of the present
law. AS stated from time to time in The
Star, there have been many conferences
between the legal representatives of the
District and the Commissioners on this
| subject. The evident intention of Con-
gress to favorably act upon separate bills
of extension Of individual streets stirred
! them to action. and late yesterday evening
| they took up Senate bill %, and amended
1t in accordance with their plan. The re-
suit of their deliberations they have en-
bodied in a letter to the Senate District
committee. After suggesting a number of
| minor amendments the Commissioners say:
The principal objects of adding section
are to cure the highway act Of 1888 Of
some radical defects developed in a late
decision OF the Supreme Court of the Dis
trict, and to authorize the Commissioners
to lay out, upon the maps required by
said act, parkway reservations as distin-
guished from reservations at intersections
decision. named, being the case of the
subdivision. known as Dernison and
Leighton's.' included within section one of
the plan for the extension Of a permanent
system of highways in the District of
Columbia, the court found that the high
way act was unconstitutional CT invalid,
since compensation for land taken for pub
lie use Is, by section II Of the act to be
made In part by deducting from the val
ues OF condemnation assessments for fu-
ture and contingent benefits; also on ac-
count OF the impracticability Of determin-
ing the lands benefited, which, by section
Is of the act. are to be assessed one-half
OF the amount of award for damages for
each highway or reservation, and the abb
sence OF any standard for such general as
sessmeDt. The court referred to the re-
cording Of the map as an additional fea-
ture OF the situation, showing the import
arce OF some legislative revision of the
act. 1t Is therefore proposed by amend
nients named above TO have the map of
the plan Of extension Of highways filed in
the Office Of the Commissioners instead of
MED and recorded in the Office of the sur
veyor, and to wholly omit sections II and
10 from the highway act.
1T might be remarked since this map
unier the law, must be guide for the
action of the Commissioners in passing
upon Flats of subdivisions offered for rec
ORD uEder the subdivision law of 1855. that
the custody of the map in their own office
would be more appropriate than at the
surveyors office, and that it is in the
province of Congress, and appears just, to
assess upon AUDITING property when the
benefit is conferred the cost or part cost
of actually opening ard improving high
ways obtained by condemnation where no
benefits were assessed for the plating or
laying out of the highways.
The Piney Branch Parkway.
1.-THE map of section 1, as delivered and
certified to the commission, composed of the
Secretary of War, the Secretary of the In
\
by the highway act, showed parkway on
a nearly east and west line, along the Piney
branch and Spring road, connecting by a
broad belt of park and driveway the Rock
creek park and the Soldiers Home, and fur
nishfng a main entrance to the park from
10th street and New Jersey and Minnesota
avenues. This parkway was commended
by Messrs. Olmsted, Olmsted & Eliot, land
scape architects, in their report on the first
section plans as a most excellent idea.
In order to preserve and include the Piney
branch to secure other ornamentation and
to provide a riding lane separated from the
streets at the sides OF the parkway, its
width over all was designed to be 200 and
$50 feet at different parts The highway
commission, for a compliance with a pro-
vision Of the highway act, limiting the width
of highways to 100 feet. altered the park
way to such limiting width, but informed
the Commissioners that we heartily ap-
prove your plan for wide parkway con-
Meeting the Rock Creek Park with the Sol
diers' Home grounds. We recommend that
an amendment to the highway bill be Sc
cured, legalizing the parkway as laid down
upon your original plans
1.-The third section plans show somewhat
wider parkways along deep valleys. where
the lands are of less market value, are not
suitable for building purposes but which
are natural entrances to Rock Creek Park
and should be preserved as such. These
parkways are likewise approved or were
laid down upon the map by Messrs Olmsted
Olmsted & Eliot.
Other amendments to the highway act
intended by the new section to Senate bill
- are self-explanatory.
Suburban Sewers.
THE Commissioners appreciate the great
cesirability Of prompt completion of the
works OF sewage disposal and protection
against floods for the city of Washington;
but they do not understand that all of
such works are more important from the
standpoint Of public health than is a sewer
system for many of the suburbs Gin which
there ID now noEe), and where typhoid
fewsr r. has fee 1 most prevalent.
senate bill % would provide for the
urgently needed suburban trunk sewers and
would accomplish the speedy rectiflcation
OF streets in existing misfit subdivisions. ON
whose new street lines main and branch
sewers In the more thickly settled subnrhs
could be laid at the expense of current
revenues. or under the assessment plan.
where applicable. and connected to the
u ui.A SeWSrS as soon as the latter were
ready.
The trunk sewers also should be locat.
ed along highway lines. 1t would be nm
wise TO build sewers and then Law ont
streets afterward, as well as more costly
by reason Of the expense of rights of wav
and grading and surfacing, otherwise un-
necessary or Useless. The sanitary en-
gineers who prepared the sewage DISPOSAL
plan for Washington were expected. by the
law, to report upon the system of sewerap 90
In ana for the District of Columbia hut
they neither estimated for, designed nor
located any sewers outside of Washing
ton other then the outlet sewer for The
city system. The parts Of this system are
designed In size to receive the sewage and
drainage from the county which would
naturally flow through the city The want
OF knowledge of where highways were 10
be, as well as where the settlements would
be, Is sufficient reason for the sanitary
engineers not reporting upon sewer MA ns
outside OF Washington.
Sewerage systems for the county or parts
OF the county are indissolubly connected
with plan of street extension, not leces-
sarily with the actual opening of even
many OF the new highways, but with the
fixed street plan on paper, and with NH
lie ownership Of intended streets before
laying sewers in their spaces.
Washington has sewer system ALREADY
built, and its parts are in use: the county
practically, has no sewer system, Works
of sewage disposal for the city are sim.
ply for carrying the sewage further owo,,