Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-21
URGES THREE STEPS
T0BETTERD|STR|CT
SUBURBAN ROADS
Supt. Grabi|I Advocates
STANDARD Building and Re-
strictions on Use.

Three important Recommendations for
improving the suburban road system of
the National Capital were made to the
Commissioners today by L. r. Grabill,
superintendent of suburban roads. They
are
That all of the heavily travelled trunk
highways which are now located in ac-
cordance with the street extension plans
shall be paved with pavements of a fixed
character as rapidly as it is possible to
secure funds
"That water-bound .macadam road
ways and streets of secondary i'm
portance be resurfaced with bituminous
macadam.
That restrictive legislation be OBJ
carried by motor vehicles
Trucks Road Burden.
The superintendent tells the COM
missioners that the growing use of
heavy motor trucks is placing upon
the suburban roads a burden thew
were not built to stand. Discussing
the condition of the roads last
spring, the report goes on:
due to the increased cost of ma
terials and labor, the amount avail
able was insufficient for the satisfac-
tory maintenance of the roads. and
work was suspended for about a
month in the early spring, owing to
exhaustion OF available funds. The
weather in the late winter of 1919
1920'was extremely destructive to all
classes of roadwayss. and at the same
time was unfavorable to work.
IN addition, the greatly increased
use OF heavy motor trucks carrying
weight of the truck. has subiected
the suburban roads to duty for
which they were never designed. rem.
dering their maintenance unduly bur.
densome and expensive, and in MANY
cases making their entire RECONSTRUCT
tion at an early date necessary"
How Appropriations Were Spent.
The total appropriation for renairs
to suburban roads during the last
a part of 1t was spent:
Bladensburg road. s7,1s4; Connecti-
cut avenue, $S,7S3; Georgia avenue
$4,463; Rittenhouse street, $685.:
streets in SauIs subdivision. s337S:
Wisconsin avenue, s4.4ss: 18th street
14th street, 1890; Rhode Island ave.
nue. northeast $3.457; Nichols aven,,a
southeast. $3,f04; watering yarinns
roads. $2,014. In addition to these
sums, approximately $4,000 was ex-
pended on minor repair work.
The general report of the engineer of
highways. of which Mr.. CrabilTs recon-.
mendations are part, shows that
$l.69S,792 was available for all work
OF the surface division, of which 5000 :
900 wac for paving sidewalks and al.
leys; $727,50O for new roadways. s4a6
500 fer construction and repairs to
suburban roads; $4,000 for constr,,c.
tion and repairs to bridges and via
ducts; $500 for grading streets and
avenues; 100000 for sidewalks and
curbs around government property.
The report shows that the municnaI
asphalt plant turned out 1926 cubic
feet of pavement during the fiscal wear
Highway Engineers Report.
The report of the engineer of bieb-
ways admits that the condition Of the
highways was "regrettably bad'' for a
considerable period of the last fiscal
year. Discussing street and road con-
ditions In general the report continues.
'The dominating Characterization Of
the years work was scarcity of ma
terials, especially such as were suh.
ject to railroad transportation and
specifically as to the latter. cement
and broken stone. Labor shortage
was not controlling, being subordi
mated as a deterrent to progress bv
the shortage of material. High costs
continued and were accentuated, but
the morale of the working force was
improved. Such delays as occurred in
completion of the years program
within the year, and there were some.
was really due to delay in receint of
material, and in this respect the fail
ure of the District to furnish ma
terial to be supplied by it was, il any
thing, more pronounced than the like
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