Evening star., 1925-07-13
Considered Menace and Will
Be Removed From Con-
necticut Avenue.
DIFFERENT CONDITIONS
SEEN BY COMMISSIONERS
Bell Says Underground Wires Will
Be Hard to Install in
Improvement.

While the Commissioners are ar
ranging to remove trolley poles from
the center to the side of Connecticut
avenue for at least a portion of the
stretch beyond the Calvert Street
Bridge, they have just authorized
erection of poles in the center of Wis
consin avenue in connection with the
relocation of the car tracks on that
thoroughfare between Massachusetts,
avenue and River road.
Engineer Commissioner Bell said
today that when the improvement of
Wisconsin avenue, including the NOV
ing Of the rails, was being planned a
few months ago the engineering Of
ficials gave much consideration to the
question of where the new poles
should be located, and 1t was finally
decided to place them in the center.
Caused Bad Accidents.
Within the past few weeks serious
accidents on Connecticut avenue re-
vived the long pending proposal to
remove the center poles from that ar
terry of travel, and the Utilities Com
mission has practically decided to
out as Klingle Bridge.
Col. Bell said the paving of Wis
consin avenue between Massachu-
setts avenue and River road has pro-
gressed to a point where all of the
new center poles are in place, and for
that reason he said he does not believe
the Commissioners would be justified
In giving consideration to tearing
them up again and placing them on
the side at this time.
Two reasons were cited by Col
Bell why side-pole construction is not
as urgent nor as easy of accomplish
ment at this time on Wisconsin avenue
as on Connecticut avenue
In the first place, he said. there is
not as much traffic crossing and turn.
ing into Wisconsin avenue from in
tersection streets as on Connecticut
avenue, and that this condition makes
the center poles more Objectionable
from safety standpoint on Connec-
ticut avenue.
Conditions Different.
Machines turning into Connecticut
avenue from side streets at a down
grade frequently cause motorists pro-
ceeding along Connecticut avenue TO
turn out into the path of the center
poles. This condition is not as fire.
quent on Wisconsin avenue" the En-
gineer Commissioner said.
The reason, however, which had
more to do with the recent decision to
permit center-pole construction on
Wisconsin avenue, Col. Bell said, was
Inc 1act that the wires carrying heavy
current both for street car operation
and electric lighting purposes could
not be placed underground on Wis.
consin avenue from Massachusetts
avenue north as easily as this can be
erected on Connecticut avenue
That part of Connecticut avenue
Where the poles are to be moved to
the sides is adjacent to an area in
which the wires carrying current are
already in underground conduits,"
Col. Bell stated, but on Wisconsin
avenue beyond Massachusetts avenue
we could not place the current wires
Underground, because the adjacent
area is practically all overhead con-
struction."
Feed Wires Underground.
In the case of Connecticut avenue.
it is planned TO put all of the feed
wires. both for the street cars and for
- VI iiouSS cur
rent, underground, The wire which
will stretch across the avenue from
the side poles will be merely TO sup
port the single trolley wire above the
car tracks
Col. Bell said the Wisconsin avenue
poles between Massachusetts avenue
and River road could have been put at
the sides by leaving the feeder wires
overhead as well as the trolley wire,
but he said there would be an element
OF danger in such an arrangement
Asked IL the removal of center poles
from Wisconsin avenue would come
up at some later time, Col. Bell said
that undoubtedly that would continue
as a municipal problem in it's general
application to all outlying thorough
fares on which there are trolley poles.
For example" the Engineer Com
missioner went on, there is a greater
need today for the removal of center
pole construction on Georgia avenue
than on Wisconsin avenue. There is
very heavy flow of traffic on Georgia
avenue"
The exact extent to which the CEN
ter poles will be removed on Connecti-
cut avenue has not been decided upon
by the commission. Indications are
that the first order will cover the
stretch from Calvert street to Klingle
Bridge. but there is q possibility the
change may he continued beyond that
point later on.