Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-22
City Cateways Urged.
Linking of Large Communities
by Fine Highways Urged.

TO tho Editor of The Star:
In former times cities had walls
and gates. Modern cities have neither
| walls nor gates. But every modern
city should have gateways, entrance
ways-highways giving good en-
| trance into the city.
One of the larger needs of the City
of Washington Is gateways and real
highways leading to those gateways
| from distant places. In this way
provision should be made for easy
approach and entry to the city from
all directions. This means that as
many such gateways as is feasible
| should BE provided. The more gate
| ways. the less distsnce to be travelled
and the less congestion In the gate
ways.
Have we at present any entrance
| to the city that can be called a real
gateway which may be reached by
| one of several real highways? In adj
dition to having connection with real
highways leading to the city, such a
gateway should have good connection
| with streets and avenues within the
| city.
| Every such gateway should not be
bordered by unsightly areas. On the
contrary, everything to be seen along
such gateway should be pleasing,
harmonious and dignified. Every
such gateway should have approaches
as nearly direct and continuous as
local conditions allow Those APP
proaches should not be angular nor
| circuitous and confusing.
The highways leading to these gate
| ways should be the best that can be
| designed and constructed to afford
| connection between Washington and
nearby cities within a range Of so or
| 100 or 200 miles. Such connection
| should be made with cities like Fred
erick, Gettysburg Harrisbu :. Balti-
! more, Annapolis, Fredericksburg,
Richmond, Charlottesville, the upper
| Shenandoah Valley, Winchester and
| Harpers Ferry. Washington need
| not be concerned with highways
leading beyond the points mentioned,
| for similar highways should lead
| from those points to other centers.
If centerS are thus connected through
out the entire coantry, there viii be
good highway communication from
Washington 10 all parts of the
United States. Then we shall have
| a Nation wide network of super
highways. Then long distance high
ways, extending from ocean to ocean
or from northern border to southern
border. will not be needed. and they,
| should have no place in effort at high
way development
When a library building or a
| school building or a cathedral is TO
| he erected, the people do not meet TO
draw plans and specifications for the
building. Usually people know that
they are not competent To perform
| such a task. A real major highway
| connecting two cities is IL civic matter
of many times larger importance than
1 a 1iY1sy a T1H nf nj
| building. library building or a
| cathedral. Such a. highway connect
| ing two cities is Of very large social
| and economic Importance for the
present and the long future.
Locating such a gateway by vote
| Of interested people assembled at
| places in the region involved is a
| good way to make such location
| wrong.
| AT present there is discussion by
| the people in local neighborhoods in
effort to locate s. highway 10 lead
| from the south end of the Memorial
| Bridge. which is TO extend across the
| Potomac River from the Lincoln
Memorial to the Arlington shore. 1t
Is quite clear that a real highway
| should lead from that bridge into
| Virginia and make good connection
with highways leading to Mount Yer
non. Fredericksburg, Charlottesville.
| Richmond. the upper Shenandoah
| Valley, Winchester and Harpers
! Ferry.
In locating this gateway, connec-
| ton with these other places should
! be taken into considera lion.
Connection with Chai1. Bridge and
| Key Bridge should also be considered
| Should there not he at or near the
! location of the present Chain Bridge
| a large bridge at a level high enough
| to avoid the Canal road and the steep
grades and short turns on the Nir-
| ginia shore?
| This makes a larger problem than
| merely laying a road in a local
| county, Interest in this problem is
| not limited to one or two suburban
areas lying near the Memorial Bridge
| This is a matter of interest 10 the
| City of Washington. the State of Nir-
| ginia. the State of Maryland and
/ the entire Nation. 1t will be to the
! advantage OF Washington and Vir-
! ginia and Maryland and all of the Ma
/ ton to have this entrance or gate.
way to Washington made the best
! that can be made--of best location
/ and design
That result cannot be attained by
| meetings of people in nearby local
areas. 1t is well that such people ex-
| press their views. But this important
| task needs the cooperation of dis.
i interested and experienced technical
persons representing the State of Vir-
! ginia. the City Of Washington and
| the Nation.
CYRUS kEHR.