Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-25
USE OF GRANT AVENUE.
Objection to Its Being Given Over to
Railroads and TrolIeys.

RAILROADS ana lrofleys.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
In this evenings Star is published a re-
port to the Senate on House bill 10cS7,
portion of which feel sure has been agreed
to in committee without full knowledge Of
facts. I refer to section j. giving Belt
Railway Company privilege of constructing
a single-track overhead trolley along Grant
avenue from 10th street to Brightwood
avenue.
Grant avenue is only about forty feet
wide from house to house. Deduct several
feet On each side for porches and sidewalk
and gutter. and there is left for roadway
about twenty feet. From Brightwood ave
nue. to Sth street the roadbed has been rails
ed to such height as to decrease the width
of the roadway. To authorize any railway
to run over this street with even single
track practically confiscates the street for
railroad purposes.
When we bear in mind that Grant avenue
is the first street running in a westerly d.
rection north OF Florida avenue, and re-
member the long distance between Florida
avenue and Grant avenue and the lack OF
sufficient westward streets even north or
Grant avenue, to turn Grant avenue over
to a railroad for its exclusive use for that
is what it will amount to, as was Marshall
street until last summer, seems to us TO be
total Indifference to the public in general
lack of knowledge of conditions which
should have been known before such a re-
port was made
Grant avenue is much used thorough
fare. 1t is more used by teams and pedes-
TRANS than any other street north of Flor
ida avenue. We feel sure the police of the
eighth precinct will verify this statement
The citizens of the Brightwood Avenue
Citizens Association have never favored
the idea of connecting the Belt railway and
Brightwood railway by way of Grant ave-
nue., and we are sure they are strenuously
opposed to this section of the bill. We
have believed that Grant avenue located
as it is at the bottom of very steep and
long hill on Brightwood avenue. If used to
connect these railroads, would soon be-
come noted for the number of fatal acct
dents. We who live along the Brightwood
railway know the speed made by cars COM
ing down the hill. The company will con-
slider it a useless expense to station flag
men at this junction.
1t also seems strange that portion of
the District SO thickly built up and popu-
lated as is Grant avenue should have an
overhead trolley. Instead of Florida avenue
being the imaginary line for the exclusion
of the trolley, it should be prohibited on
all well-settled or thickly populated streets.
This would remove it to the portions of the
District suburban in fact. 1t should have
been removed from Brightwood avenue
south of Rock Creek Church road long ago,
and, instead of Congress adding new over
head trolleys to that portion of the Dis
trict, which has really become part of the
city, they should at once order it to be
removed.
We like your editorial in tonights paper
concerning overhead trolley on North Capt.
tol street, but our case is many times
stronger.
The citizens want better and increased
railroad facilities, but rather than have the
bill pass in its present shape We would
prefer to see it defeated We would rather
see increased railroad facilities put off sew
eral years, If necessary, than to see our
only west street for half a mile along
Brishtwood avenue given over exclusively
to railroads and trolleys.
There are other means of connecting
these roads except by way of Grant avenue,
but as a matter of expense it might be
more costly at first. The Commissioners of
the District recommended the Grant ave-
nue. route, believing they saw a great
scheme of street extension but they might
have known the result that after the route
was recommended the railway people would
eliminate all the features Objectionable to
them, and ! am sure the proposition to
widen street at the expense of the rail-
way, especially when the street was closely
built on both sides, must have been objec-
tonable.
We want better railroad facilities but no
junction at Grant and Brightwood avenues
and no more overhead trolleys. The ideal
facilities would be a junction between the
Brghtwood and Belt railways at Bright
wood and Florida avenues, and a free re-
ciprocal transfer issued by all railroads at
that point CLAUDE F. KING
Chairman Com. on Railroads, Brghtwood
Avenue Citizens Association.
February "a, 1899.