Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-19

! Government officials already are
looking ahead to the traffic congestion
problems which may arise when Fed
| eral offices are concentrated in the
Avenue triangle" but they are far
from any definite plan for solving
them.
When the building program is
completed five years hence the work
day population of this limited area
will be more than doubled. There
will be at least 10000 more Federal
employees gathered into this strip
from offices now scattered about the
city.
a good percentage of them have
automobiles. Five years from now
II is likely that more will be driving
their own cars than is the case to-
day. The traffic to and from work,
unless the problem is worked out
beforehand. will mostly pass through
the already overburdened business
district, since a great part of the
city's population resides in the
Northwest and Northeast sections.
Careful Study Sought.
The problem of avoiding such
condition is not pressing. 1t will be
four or five years before the build
+ ings are occupied to any great eX-
tent. But those who have fOreseen
the situation desire that it be con-
sidered in formulating general plans
for the area. An unbearable stu
alton. discovered after the buildings
are in place, would be very difficult
to remedy.
Planning officials believe, for ex-
ample, that it should be arranged
to keep B street free from street car
tracks and reserved for Vehlcular
traffic alone. The tracks. they say,
should be laid in some other street.
They have suggested street and
also sending the cars entirely around
the area to B street southwest.
Getting automobile traffic out of
the area with the least congestion
affords considerable food for thought.
This may involve sending traffic in
the east end of the area, for in
stance. directly northward across
PENNSYLVANIA avenue and beyond the
congested area where it can dis
tribute itself to the east and west.
May Never BE Necessary.
Persons living in Chevy Chase,
for instance, and working in a
building located at Fourth and b
streets might be obliged to proceed
straight up Fourth street to Massa-
chusetts avenue during the evening
rush hours. At Massachusetts ave-
nue. they could turn west and pro-
coed homeward. Otherwise they
might cause a good deal of conges-
ton and delay by trying to go
straight west along B street. say
as far az Twentieth street, before
turning north.
But this Is only a suggestion and
Col. L. s. Grant, Sd, director of
public buildings and grounds. rather
questions If it ever will be necessary.
He. believes that E street can be
made wide enough so that it will
not be necessary to restrict it TO
one way traffic.
Before this problem arises, Col.
Grant believes, roadways will be cut
through Rock Creek and Potomac
Parkway Then cars can be sent
along e street westward to West
Potomac Park. Rock Creek Parkway
and Rock Creek Park, along wide
Isroads with no car tracks, finding out
let's at the nearest points to their
homes. This would leave some of the
city streets free from heavy traffic
and free some of the northbound
routes which motorists now are
obliged to use.
May Make Roads Lower
Col. Grant believes that an even
greater problem than that of the
triangle will be afforded by the area
south of the Mall centered about the
Department of Agriculture. He be-
licves this area win grow up in office
buildings which will house great mum
hers of workers.
This will complicate the traffic
problem in the triangle area because