The Washington times., 1920-05-20
CITIZENS URGE
BETTER ROADS
Civic Representatives Recon-.
mend Use Of Auto Taxes tor
Street improvement.

Immediate improvement OF the
streets and suburban roads OF the
District of Columbia and the redistri-
button of the tax funds pads by au-
tomobile and motor truck owners
looking toward the permanent estao-
lishment and upkeep OF better roads
were urged in resolutions adopted to-
day by thirty representatives OF civic
organizations at meeting In the
offices of the American Automobile
Association.
The representatives, including ad-
ditional delegates from all the citi-
zens assoc iations in the District. VIII
appear before the District Commis-
stoners at IL o'clock tomorrow morn
ing to present a program OF better
District highways and to urge that
District funds be made Immediately
available toward carrying into effect
the program adopted today.
Owners OF automobiles and motor
trucks annually pay substantial taxes
| TO the general funds of the District,
II was shown today, and the money
mus raised is expended without ref
! erence to highway maintenance or
street repair.
Budget Too Small.
Both regular and emergency ap-
I propriations are far below what Is
needed to improve the present condi-
ton of the District roads. 1t was
, stated, and enormous sum Will be
required to put the roads in shape
unless immediate repairs are made.
! "The main roads in the District or
! Columbia leading from Maryland and
, Virginia" declared NJ o. Eldridge.
of the American Automobile Associa-
ton, "are now in very bad condition.
, These roads connect at the District
line in most cases with well con-
| structed paved roads in the adjoining
! states, thus leaving gaps of rough
! and unsatisfactory roadways between
the paved streets OF the District and
the good roads leading from the ad-
joining States.
Approximately forty miles OF
{ suburban roads, which probably carry
! as large a volume Of traffic per foot
Of width as any of the main streets
in the city of Washington, should be
/ paved with cement, concrete, or sheet
! asphalt or some similar type OF pave
. ment to a width of at least twenty
four feet"
S35.OOO q Mile Is Cost.
II was estimated it would cost about
s35, 900 a mile to pave these roads to
a width of twenty four feet with con-
crete and about $4,000 mile with
: sheet asphalt or total cost OF
S1,4OO,OO0 for concrete and $4,000, 900
for asphalt
.If the present cost of maintenance
of these roads, continued Mr..
Eldridge. "were spread over a period
= of fifteen to twenty-five years, it can
easily be figured that the cost of paw
ing the roads plus interest, deprecia-
tion, and maintenance charges on the
new pavements, would be much less
than would be the case under the pres
ent method"
The committee listed the following
roads in the District of Columbia
which needed repair. and which will
be called to the attention Of the Com
missionsrs tomorrow:
Roads Needing Repair.
Nichols avenue (Giesboro road),
from Good Hope road (Anacostia) to
the Maryland line, miles.
Good Hope and Naylor roads from
Nichols avenue to Maryland State line,
LIS miles.
Pennsylvania avenue southeast and
! Alabama avenue, from Minnesota ave-
! nue. to Maryland State line alabama
avenue now provided for). miles.
Benning road northwest and Cen
trail avenue to Maryland State line
=, near Fifty-sixth street southeast, 2.5
| miles.
Minnesota and Dean avenues and
Dix street. from Benning road to
Maryland State line, 3.5 miles.
Bladensburg road. from Oats street
to Maryland State line (provided for
this year,, 2.25 miles.
Rhode Island avenue, from Twelfth
street to Maryland State line, 1.5
miles.
Bunker Hill road, from Harwood
road to Maryland State line, IFS
Rock Creek Church and Riggs
roads, from Georgia avenue to Mary
land State line, 2.5 miles.
Georgia avenue, from Rock Creek
road to Crittenden street. and from
Military road to Maryland State line,
2.25 miles.
Blair road. from Riggs road to
Maryland State line. 2 miles.
Sixteenth street and Alaska avenue,
from Columbia road to Georgia ave-
nue.. and Maryland State line'-this
street should be paved to it's full
width, so feet, with sheet asphalt or
some durable and satisfactory type
of pavement. 3.75 miles.
Connecticut avenue from about Nc
Comb street to Chevy Chase circle at
Maryland State line, 2:5 miles. The
paving for one-half of this street was
provided for this year.
Wisconsin avenue, from about
Woodley road to Maryland State line.
two miles: Potomac avenue and Canal
road, from Aqueduct bridge to Chain
bridge, where it, connects with the
Virginia State system. 225 miles:
Reservoir street. from Thirty NTH
street to Potomac avenue. 1.5 miles.
Two Streets In had shape.
In addition TO these suburban roads
connecting with important roads in
Maryland and Virginia, there are two
streets in the District which are
paved at present with Belgian blocks
nd which are in very rough and