Evening star., 1922-06-28
14TH ST. EXTENSION
FOUND NECESSARY
Highway Commission, After
Hearing, Reported
Fatorab|y.

Recognition Of the fact that the
growth of the city toward the north
west necessitates a street opening
between Georgia avenue and 18th
street. in the vicinity of the Walter
Reed Hospital grounds, which now
block traffic streams between these
highways. is contained in a letter
of Maj. Gen. Lansing H. Beach. chief
of engineers of the army and a
member of the highway commission
of the District. to Representative
Focht regarding the extension of
14th street.
1t was in June. 1921, that the high
way commission met to settle points
of controversy between the War De-
partment and District government
9fileia1s hdins as Ste to the advisability of ex.
War Weeks and Maj. Gen. Beach
were the two members Of the high
way commission present, the third
being the Secretary of the Interior
who was not able to attend
Favor Street Extension.
Seventy-two pages of stenographic
testimony were taken. The net re-
suits were contained III letters to
legislators from the Secretary of
war. the chief of engineers of the
Army and Chairman Cuno H. Rudolph
efs. The highway commission placed
itself on record in these records as
emphatically recommending the ex-
tension of the street.
An extract from the letter of Sec
| retary Of War Weeks to Senator l.. H
Ball. chairman of the District COM
m1ttee, says, in part:
I'm view of the important bearing
| that the provisions in H. r. 1924 and
H. R. 557s would have on the future
n al 80 he ,rio ~
lumbia. as we'll as on the Walter
Reed Hospital. a public hearing was
held on the subject. at which all
! parties interested were afforded an
opportunity to express their views
The Highway Commission, after very
careful consideration of the cases.
arrived at the opinion that 18th street
should not be closed through the
Walter Reed Hospital grounds, but
should be preserved for future needs
| when eventually opened. that traffic
will prove of as little inconvenience
or annoyance to the hospital as
possible"
Maj. Gen. Beach wrote letter along
similar lines to Representative Focht,
| mittee, in which he declared in part:
Seek Traffic Growth.
"The commission is of the opipion
that 14th street should not be closed
through the Walter Reed Hospital
grounds s. If that were done. it would
leave only two highways-Georgia
avenue and 18th street-available for
is almost certain with the growth of
the city to amount to a greater volume
than could be or should be handled by
those two streets"
Gen. Beach then recommended that
the bills existent be united in one bill
and inclosed draft of bill combining
the features of the others regarding
the closing of other streets in the hos
pital grounds and for the retention
Of 14th street His letter was dated
Commissioner Rudolph's letter to
Senator Ball in the matter. dated
August 26, 1921, said in part:
Because of conflicting views ex-
pressed by the War Department and
by the Commissioners as to the advis-
ability of closing 14th street through
the Walter Reed Hospital grounds, the
matter was referred to the highway
commission.
This commission held public
hearing June %. 1921. and recently
in report recommended adversely
as to the closing of 14th street
through the hospital reservation. the
Secretary CT War. a member of that
commission. concurring in this view.
Favored by War Department.
Senate bill 2411 embodies legisIa-
tion which Is essential both to the
development of the Walter Reed Hos
pital and OF the highway plan in
! that part Of the District of Column
! bia This bill meets the views of
| the highway commission and of the
| Commissioners of the District OF Co
! lumb bia,. and. 1t is understood. Is fa-
vored by the War Department"
Senate bill 2411 provides for the
closing of all public streets and
alleys, except 14th street, in the area
bounded by 18th street and the west.
Alaska avenue on the northwest.
Fern street on the north. Georgia
avenue on the east and Aspen street,
| as plotted on the Of -'el survey map
on the south. Streets provided to
be closed are 18th street. 18th street,
Dahlia street, Doewood street and
Elder street.