Evening star., 1922-06-26
URGE EXTENSION
Of 14TH Street
Home Owners Seeking Need
ed Thoroughfare Disappoint-
ed by House Action.

Because 14th street is logically one
of the three main arteries leading into
the District from the north is the CEN
trail reason given by citizens why the
thoroughfare should be extended through
the Walter Reed Hospital grounds to
the District line.
Those interested in the proposed ex-
tension of 14th street are very mucn
disappointed by the recent announce
ment that promised hearings on the pro,
posal have been indefinitely postponed
by the House military affairs committee
They point out that 18th street and
Georgia avenue are the two main thor
oughfares now leading from the north
into the District, and that the third
main artery of travel is 14th street,
when it shall be cut through.
Discusses illogical Future"
Charles W. Ray. president of the
Brightwood Citizens Association, be-
Heves that the logical future of l4th
street, it's very position. indicates that
1t must be cut through. He declared
that he and the other members OF MS
association look to the future or the
whole north end of the city. to the
time fifty years from now when more
thoroughfares will be an absolute
necessity.
1T is quite plain that 14th street
should be cut through to the District
line. not only because of the many
benefits which it's extension Will
bring, but primarily because of its
strategic position" President Ray de-
clared.
plans approved by the surveyors
call for the extension of this impor-
tant thoroughflre, since there is
scarcely any other main artery that
can now be cut through to the Dis
trict line.
Fifteenth street and other streets
are lost before they get anywhere near
the line. leaving only l4th street as
the best situated road for extension,
benefiting both the District and Mary
land" Mr.. Ray said.
Extension of 14th street would open
up land for development. insure the
building of homes and provide for the
opening of new side streets. sorely
needed. If necessary. it would be pos
sible to sink the thoroughfare as it
goes through the hospital grounds, but
/ do not feel such step would be de-
Sirable'
President Ray pointed out that OBJ
jeCtionS against the cutting of the
street through the Walter Reed Hos
pital area, on the ground that the
street cars and other traffic would dis
turb the patients, can scarcely be held.
since the cars on the proposed street
would not be as near to patients as
Georgia avenue mas been ever SINCE the
establishment of the hospital.
Objects to Proposed DetOur.
The best consensus of opinion of
citizens in Brightwood and other
points in the vicinity is adverse to
temporizing with the demands of the
situation by attempting to cut around
the Water Reed Hospital reservation.
bringing the cars out and through
18th street and Alaska avenue.
a m a President e.
clared, would in the main defeat the
large fundamental purpose of the 14th
street extension. for it would fail to
open up the predestined third thor
oughfare, and would make 18th street
in the years to come an utterly i'm
possible jam of vehicles.
Various citizens associations have
adopted resolutions favorable to the
proposed extension Of 14th street.
They are the Brightwood Citizens AS
sociation. the Piuey Branch Citizens
Association, Sixteenth Street Heights
Highland Association and the Takoma
Park Association.
Improvement Sought for Years.
Representative Fred ". Zihlman OF
Maryland has been working for more
than a year to get the proposed legis-
lation through. and is anxious to have
the hearings held at this session of
Congress, while present and prospec-
tive home owners have been urging 1t
for a number of years. The 14th street
project carries the approval of the
highway commission, of which the
Secretary of War Is chairman and
Mai Gen. Beach, chief engineer Of
ficer Of the Army, is member.