Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-20
CUT IN PARK AREA
IS BEFORE EXPERTS
Commission Studies Proposal
to Reduce Piney Branch
Site Cost $50. 900.

Reduction OF the area originally
planned as the Piney Branch park
way was taken under consideration
today by the co-ordinating committee
of the National Capital Park ana
Planning Commission, 1t was an
nounced by Maj. Carey HI. Brown, It's
chairman. The suggestion that the
area be reduced was made by Fred
eric H, Olmsted, one of the new mem
bers Of the planning commission, who
recently, on q visit here, made a study
Of this area.
The reduction would amount to
Z about 40 per cent of the land or1gi-
nally intended to form a part or this
parkway leading into Rock Creek
Park. 1t was suggested that the
principal reason for making a survey
with a view to cutting down the area
to be purchased was one Of economy,
inasmuch as approximately $sO,ooo
would be saved. The committee de-
cided today that it would make q
further study Of this area and have
the proposed parkway staked out IN
order that it might be able to visualize
the effect when the entire area, Is pur-
chased.
1t was explained that since the
parkway originally was planned much
Of 1t has been filed in by property
owners and much of the tree growth
has been destroyed for park purposes.
Small Strip to Be Bought.
Under the new plan only small
strip for roadway would be purs
chased, with small amount of park
land between this driveway, which
tops the Pfney Branch sewer and
Sixteenth street. The committee
realizes, 1t was said, the necessity of
getting some of the land on the east
side of Sixteenth street at this point
In order to protect the Tiger Bridge
and to provide g. roadway under 1t to
connect with the main part OF Piney
Branch parkway west of this bridge.
The new and tentative plans would
provide a roadway from Fourteenth
and Varnum streets in southwesterly
direction to and under the Tiger
Bridge and into Rock Creek Park.
The committee also took under
consideration a number of suggeS-
lions for improving the highways
with a view to providing for the easy
movement of traffic. The suggestions
Franklin Bell. The principal pro-
posal and the one which Col. Bell
asked the committee to give Inn
mediate study was that of eliminat-
ing the two small circles in Harvard
street between Mount Pleasant street
and the entrance to the Zoo. 1t was
pointed out that these two circles
furnish an inpediment to traffic and
are danger spots in this steep grade.
Parkway Abolition Asked,
Col. Bell also asked the committee
to consider connecting Columbia road
co Mt cfV. oof In oh,
a way that the street car and auto
mobile traffic will not interfere with
traffic on Sixteenth street. The sug-
Gestion was made that the parkway
on the northwest corner Of this inter-
section might be cut away to permit
such traffic to get around without run.
ming counter to that on Sixteenth
street as it does at present. The COM
mittee realizes that there may be
strong objection to losing this park
way, but it was pointed out that the
traffic situation there is quie danger
GUS.
The question OF providing more
thoroughfares, north and south, from
Florida avenue, with the idea of re-
heving Sixteenth street of much Of
Its heavy flow, also was submitted to
the co.ordinating committee for study.
Col. Bell suggested Thirteenth, Fiji
SSCASAs EONGANCCAIlIIs ILl6ul0Sntu anu
Nineteenth streets be studied thor
oughly with view to determining
the practicability of making thorough
fares out of these streets, particularly
north of Florida avenue
FavOrs Keeping Avenue.
The committee rejected the sugges-
6on of certain real estate interests
that LuZon avenue be eliminated from
the highway plan. This avenue. al
though not at present cut through, is
on the platbook as leading from q
point south of the Walter Reed Hos
pital in a southeasterly direction to
connect win Sixteenh street. The
committee was strongly opposed to
the elimination Of any streets in this
area which eventually would provide
easy ingresS and egress Of traffic from
and to Sixteenth street.
The committee gave its final ap-
prova1 today to the plats showing pro
posed changes In highways, which will
be made the subject Of a public hear
ing by the Commissioners on August
3. These included the widening Of
Blair road from Peabody to Underwood
street, the widening Of Conduit road
to 120 feet from the Georgetown Res
ervoir to the District line, changes
which would result in THE preserva-
t1on Of Sargent and Queens Chapel
roads northeast, the Wilson Park area.
south Of st. Elizabeth's Hospital and
the extension of Branch avenue south
east from Alabama avenue to the Dis
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