Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-29
THE WIDTH INCREASED
Ten Feet Added to 10th
Street Extended.
THEROADWAY UNIFORM
COL. BIDDLE CoNSULTS WITH
oLMsTEAD BROTHERS.
The Appropriation Available Believed
to Be Sufficient to Meet the
Expense.
THEROADWAY UNIFORM

Col John Biddle, the Engineer Commits
sioner of the District stated today that it
has been decided to make the roadway of
, 10Th street extended fifty feet in width. in
stead of forty feet. as was at one time sug-
gested The fifty-foot roadway will make
the width of the thoroughfare uniform
throughout The present improvement OF
10th street consists of asphalt paving as
far north as Morris street. which is several
blocks above Florida avenue Under the
appropriation made by the last Congress
the asphalt pavement will now be con-
tinued far north Columbia road
macadam being substituted from that point
out to Spring road. or Piney Branch. Col
Blddle said that most of the grading work
has been done and the paving will be put
down as speedily as possible.
The decision In favor of the fifty feet of
roadway was reached by Col. Biddle after
the receipt of a letter from Olmsted Bros.
of Brookline, Mass. of which Mr.. Frederick
Law Olmsted, jr.. of the Senate parking
commission. Is a member. Col Biddle has
consulted with these gentlemen constantly
in regard to the Improvement of streets and
sidewalks in the District and especially with
reference to 18th street extended Mr.. Ohm
sted approves the continuance of the city
style of treatment of the street. at least
as far out as Rock Creek Park. He speaks
secured on 10Th street in the city by the
planting of Maple trees near the curb line
and overhanging tulip trees in the park
ing back of the sidewalk.
Citizens Urged Increase.
delegation of citizens who own property
affected by the extension of 10th street and
who worked indefatigably for the extern
sion of the thoroughfare. called upon Col.
Biddle last week and urged him to adopt
the fifty-foot width of roadway rather than
the forty-foot width. which has been sug-
gested. The Engineer Commissioner told
his callers at that time that the matter had
not been definitely decided. The forty-foot
width. he said had been suggested
matter of economy. 1t has been determined
that the appropriation of $4,000 available
for the improvement of the street as far
north Spring road will permit of the
fifty-fOot roadway, however. and the
wider thOroughfare desired by the property
owners is now assured.
The Messrs. Olmsted in their letter to
Col. Biddle discuss the sidewalk problem In
Washington in very interesting manner.
They declare 1t Is almost impossible to
keep grass in the tree spaces in any sort of
attractive shape On the other hand to
pave over the entire space about the roots
of the trees works serious results. They
suggest an open tree space next the curb,
which shall be covered by a thin iron graf
ing. This will permit of a solid footway
and yet give the moisture about the trees
that is so desirable. They suggest that
the grating could be made ornamental in
design and that openings in the curb at
intervals would permit of the reception into
the soil of a portion of the storm and waste
water running in the cutters.
Views Of Olmstead Brothers
The Messrs Olmsted Brothers are distin-
guished landscape architects and their
views naturally have great weight with the
officials of the engineer department. Writ
ing TO Cot Biddle they say:
Having examined and discussed the 18th
street extension with you. and having care
fully considered the matter. We beg leave
to report that II seems best to adopt for
the extension. as far as Rock Creek Park.
the same subdivisions as in the portion
already completed.
IF the distance between the rows of
trees on the opposite sides of the street
could be materially increased. the road
way between curbs might be reduced to the
width actually needed to accommodate
travel comfortably. thus widening the turf
planting spaces enough to make them tell
as distinct features of the vista. In this
way the extension could be made to
present quite different aspect from
the old portion of 10th street-one even
more dignified and ample in general effect
in spite of the narrower roadway. There
seem. however. to he various objections to
any change of SO radical a sort and We
share your fear that simply to narrow the
space between curbS without any other
change from the arrangement of the pres
s ent street would IL, simply weaken its
tutng a different and compensating eff
feet
1T Is important that 10th street should
be maintained as a broad vista open to the
sky. in contradistinction with the smaller
scale of those streets which are so pleas
antly over-arched by trees, because on ac-
count of the variations in grade it would
be impossible to maintain the long vista
under the branches of oyerhanging trees.
no matter how high. In open vista of
such length greater breadth between
ia roe no irah 10 thap
can be secured on even broad a street
as 18th street. Fortunately. the outer
rows-that is, farthest from the center line
consists OF tulip trees much taller than
the inner rows of Norway naples,
that the effective width of the vista is
really that between the foliage of the two
outer rows. while the naples form a sort
of fringe at the base. 1t is desirable that
this effect should be maintained and en-
phasized by pruning in such way to
keep down the naples to a height not eX-
ceeding. say twenty-five feet. while the
tulip trees are encouraged to form a tall
and somewhat columnar growth. The same
treatment should be adopted for the extern
sion.
The Planting Spaces.
THE general subject of how to maintain
the planting spaces both on 10th street and
other streets of the city. We need hardly
say is an extremely difficult We
know of no instances of the extensive and
satisfactory maintenance of turf-planting
strips next the curb of busy city streets.
even In cities where the maintenance OF
turf is easier and simpler than in Wash
ington. The conditions of shading and
trampling, added to the climatic and soil
difficulties presented anywhere in Wash
ington, are such that even the moderate
degree of success which is exhibited along
10th street and Massachusetts avenue Is
distinctly creditable. We doubt whether
good turf can be maintained consistently
along such streets without the protection
of some kind of guard rail other barrier
at least upon the three sides away from the
curb We believe that form OF protective
rail could be designed which. If applied
uniformly to any street would be the
verse of unsightly. but II would probably
look unreasonable II applied to the pro-
lection of strips of turf narrow as the
tree spaces on most of your streets. II
the spaces were wider. II would be sim
pier problem TO protect and maintain them.
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