Evening star., 1924-08-17
ROCK CREEK VALLEY
PARKWAY ASSURED,
Authorities, Having 80 Per
Cent of Land Needed, Be- i
gin Preliminary Work.

| Having acquired about 80 per cent
or the land needed for a parkway in
the Valley Of Rock Creek, which is.
TO connect Potomac Park with 200
| logical and Rock Creek parks, thaf
authorities in charge are now taking
| practical steps for tho Improvement
Of that long-neglncted area
Preliminary operations under way
| include a general cleaning-up of the
section extending from l. street.
where the Che sapeakc and Ohio Canals
enters Rock Creek, 10 the p Street
Bridge. In parts Of that section na:-
| urdl features have been entirely
eliminated by the g-continued
! dumping Of ashes and other refuse
| on the banks Of the creek, especially
| on the east side. AS a result oC
promiscuous dumping former broad
spaces have been narrowed to precip-
tous slopes of most unsighuy rub
bish, the unrestricted deposit Of many
years. Even where the dumping has
ceased, the slopes are overgrown with
tangles of weeds and small trees. aud
present an unattractive appearance
Takes Form OF Amphitheater.
That part of the parkway imme-
diately south Of = street on the right
or west side Of the creek. howcvcr.
widens out into u broad amphitheat"r-
like area. and naturally lends itself
TO attractive development. Thcr" Is
q similar area much smaller in siZ'.
the right bank just south OF tr"
PENNSYLVANIA AT-nu" Bridge Tn
right bank from Pennsylvania avenue
tn = street air ady has been impr0v- .
ed by the construction of the bridl"
path starting at Potomac Park a"h
connecting with the older bride path. .
1 gp.fr 'trEr
and extends to the north end Of lsprk
Creek Park.
OPERATIONS IN progress include n"
razing of about p Old abandoned d""H-
ings and a few factories located witAj.s
the parkway limits and recently II
chased by the Government. The ma
jority of these buildings are located "'
Twenty seventh street and i street. /"
the list of buildings scheduled for it.-.
mediate removal is tn" Old agued''t
Office, on the south side Of PcnnsEiya j.
avenue near Twenty ty-eighth street. ot|-r e.
buildings in that vicinity. to be r"lnn-'d
later on, are most Of thos" on f+n7Si
vania avenue on both sides Of the cr n. :.
between Twenty-siXth and Tw%riy
eighth streets. Some Of these have /. .rr,
already acquired by purci1asr. CON
demnation proceedings have been i'~ti-
| ;utcd in the case Of the others.
! IL the valley the work al present is
| confined to clearing away the gen. +.
rubbish along the right Tor Ge"rgrto~:.}
! bauk. especially IN the areas near IN
I PENNSYLVANIA Avenue and p SI,,."t
/ Bridges Owing 10 the Snail amount g.. .
! funds on hand the work in progress J.
merely III preparation To the inaugu'"-
tion Of the elaborate plans Of de%"'"!'-
! mcnt contemplated by the existing Rock
! Creek Potomac Parkway Commission. q.
which the Secretaries Of the Treasury.
/ M AeTt.iTlfJITa Al rppTpl,
! Those pans are said 70 have
ceiVed the strong Endorsement Of ~.
newly created national park AMI .
| playground commission composed O..
| the chief Of Army engineers III
I chairman OF tho Senate and Hou@"
! District committees, the director - =
! the rational park service. tn" d. /.
rector uf the United States for.at
/ service and thn engineer IN cha =
I of public buildings a'td grounds. III,
plans involve heavy expenditures az.
! probably viii hc presented - Ca"-
81" for approval ana for The H.."'s
1ary, arrs"tristtio a. ths. e.ia,H::
seSs sikn ~ that bod? Ii is said u"
new commission crn&idGrs tn" d.
! vclormert ii ,hy parkway as urgent
and VII include it in lis first !,St :.
of the District projects calling for :,
| the favorable consideration Of Con-
| greSs.
Thrr@ BouIcsar5S Planned.
| Generally these plans for tn" park
| way involve the construction "f th.'-
| rdS-Cnn on tho lift or east
| rim. one on the Ncst RIM ana In
/ third on the lower banks of iu,. /.
creek. owing IL III" character vt
/ the terrain above q street anl btlu,,
/ PcnnsyiN avenue it viii b, u.t,,- .
/ Sary- To divert tn. uiI..r dr,vJ,ysN-.
! Ia interSeCtin2 Stf",.t Eur IT,. SAM.
! reason do water siIr driv. viii Hs.-
to cross the creek several times a,@
1 ." through tunnel in til. fiji at
/ Massachusetts, avenue. Under tnt
/ plans the three driv, ways viii merge
| below Pennsylvania avenue and con
! tinue as one into Potomac Park near
! the foot of New Hampshire avenue
! Potomac Park is being extended in th..
river at this point, but the work has
/ been delayed by small appropriations for =
the building of the necessary Saa waiIS
| When the til is made handsome mo
! mortal 10 the victims Of the Titanic dis
| ester will be erected there II j.
/ planned to terrace the steep slopes
now covered with ashes and oih-E-
refuse.
/ OF the three proposed boundaries.
! the waterside drive probably viii r.
/ ceive first attention. though il Will he
1 possible 70 construct the border
! drives At the same time, II funds
permit.
Plans for WnrtrS;de Drive.
! Plans for the watcrSide drive in .
! clude the lengthening of the span II
! the j street bridge. and the ConStru.-
! tion OF low bridge across the creek
! just below Pennsylvania avenue and
another low bridge across the creek
at the south end Of Oak Hll Cemetery
/ to the site of the Oid Lions Mil. Thr
bridges VIII be required because there
/ is not sufficient space for continued
| driveway ON either side of the creek.
As planned the road will he con.
! structed on the east side from the
! river to Pennsylvania avenue. on th,-
west side from there To Oak HiiI
| Cemetery and then the east side 10
! the Zoo Park. The old street level
! bridge at II street may have to hc
removed entirely. il is said. to provfd.
| the necessary space for the drive az
that point. Lieut. Col. c. o. Sheriff.. th,.
! officer in charge of public buildings
! and grounds, says it may not he
/ necessary to tunnel through the
! heavy fill at Massachusetts avenue,
| as il is possible to erect a bridge
| within the existing culVert and carry
| the road through that comparatively
! short stretch.