Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-16
FOR COUNTY ROADS
What is to Be Done During the
Month of April.
SOME NEW WAYS PROPOSED
Means of Communication Are to Be
Improved. .-s..-
TO REPAIR TH0ROUGHFAREs
Details of What the Superintendent
Intends to Do Beyond Old
City Limits. .-...
REPAIR THOROUGHFAREs-

All classes are interested in the facilities
of intercourse between the urban portion OF
the District and the country and this Is
especially the case with those who have
their homes in the outlying territory. They
want to get from part to the other and
they expect to find good roads. ...-
Generally speaking. such an expectation
is not disappointed. although It would bet
ter describe the situation to say that the
roads in the country about this city are in
much better condition then they used to be-
One reason is that more money Is being
spent for the purpose than was the case a
year or so ago. In fact FOR the coming
| fiscal year. which begins the LIST of July
next, more money has been provided for
the repair of county roads than for the .
present year and the same might be said
of the amount available for the construc-
ton of such roads
Care Of County Roads.
In the system of administration of the
| affairs of the District the care and main
| tenance of the roads In the parks is in
| trusted to the official who has care of the
reservations, while all other roads lying
outside of the old limits of the city are in
| the care of an official of the District who is
| called the superintendent of roads For
number Of years past this position has been
held by Mr. Morris Hacker Recently
| however. Mr.. Hacker has accepted a call
which will take him to Ohio and so he has
resigned.
| Broadly speaking about 500, 600 are spent
| each year In carrying out the work of these
| two branches, the construction and the re-
pair of county roads. In any other city than
| Washington such a designation as county
| roads could not by any stretch of the mean
ing OF the term be made to include the as
| phalt streets of the city. But in Washing
| ton where all sorts Of governmental
| anomalies flourish, small thing like inject
| Ing an unheard-of meaning into words OF
| the English language Is not much regarded
| especially If it is done by act of Congress.
City Keeps on Growing.
Such Is exactly what has happened to the
| official meaning of county roads" It was
| a term in use when the city of Washington
! was one political entity and the county Of
Washington another and when the city had
not passed over its original bounds and
had begun to spread over Washington
county. But Congress has never taken heed
Of the changes which time is making with
out much regard to even the course of the
national legislature. In this way II happens
the national legislators provide money for
putting city pavement on a country road.
1t Is something like the experiences of Alice
in Wonderland to read of the sections OF
the appropriation bill relating to the Dis
trict, because some things are SO much
mixed up. However, It Is a relief to know
the confusion is entirely confined to the
phraseology of the law. for when it comes
to spending the money everything comes
out all right without regard to the imag-
mary lines between the old and the new.
Asphalt Pavements.
There is not much to be done during the
coming year In the way Of providing as
phalt pavements in this section. as the
greater portion of the money is to go for
the opening of and extension Of streets and
In repairing macadamized roads. In what
4 In krSNx fhn xIa1@
prising the section lying east and west of
list street from R street to the filtration
plant, provision Is made for placing an
asphalt pavement on Randolph street from
North Capitol to LIST streets; on Seaton
street In the same square; on Rhode Is
land avenue from North Capitol to LIST
street. and on T street from North Capitol
street to Lincoln avenue.
In the same bill money is provided to
furnish a maeadam pavement on Kenyon
street from Sherman avenue to 18th street,
ceive the difference between this street and
the group above mentioned which would
justify this change in the kind of pave
ment. There is. however, a reason for II,
which is, the paving already done in the
Bloomingdale region Is asphalt. while that
sort of pavement has not as yet come up to
that part Of Kenyon street.
For New Roads.
Macadamizing is also going to be done on
Shepherd street, in Petworth, east of Sth q
street; on Longfellow street. in Brightwood
Park from 9Th street to Shepherd road and
also on portions Of Lincoln road Sheriff
road and Nichols avenue ~'s7''
Perhaps what would be looked upon as
the more important phase, of the work un-
dertaken by this department of the Dis
trict government Is what is known as new
construction, more especially the opening OF
new roads and the extension of existing
thoreughfares. One of the largest in this
class for the coming year is the extension
of 18th street beyond the barrier of Piney
branch, a stream with gorge altogether
out of proportion to the volume of water
trickles along the bottom of the shaded
ed and picturesque depths.
Extension of 10th Street.
bridge is just about completed across
| this ravine on the line of 18th street, and
what is now going to be done is to provide
the approaches and extend the street as far
north as the money will permit. At this
| time it extends to the southern side Of
Piney branch.
1t is proposed to continue Massachusetts,
| avenue west of the Tenleytown road,
Wisconsin avenue as it is now named. IL
| the money lasts the grading of this great
| thoroughfare will be completed as far west
| as Wisconsin avenue, which passes in front
Of the American University buildings. The
cuts are heavy and so are the fills
Then there are to be entirely new streets
opened for the better accommodation of thu
public in general and the people OF the inn
mediate neighborhood in particular. Ole
OF these Will ne AlDemarie street, winch II
to begin on the east side of Connecticut
avenue between Pierce Mil road and
Grant road and extend far Both
street Some day the new road will form
a connection with the old Broad Branch
road At that part of Connecticut avenue
an important change has just been made
in the Grant road hill, so that it is now a
3k per cent grade instead of per cent
grade.
OF Use to the Public.
Farther to the north on Connecticut ave-
and just north of the Chevy Chase
circle, Rittenhouse street is to be opened to
the east and will extend to the Broad
Branch road. affording a much-needed line
of communication between that section and
the circle. Following the line OF Ritten-
house street it would touch Br1gtItwdod
avenue just north of Brlghtwood Begin
an fba net gf6 Of hat thnrn -