Evening star., 1928-10-31
CITIZENS FIGHT
MD. AVE. CHANGE
Direct Thoroughfare Is De.
manded at Hearing Before
D. C. Commissioners.

A storm Of protest met proposal
for change Of the highway plan in.
volving abandonment of Maryland ave-
nue. northeast between NJ street and
Oklahoma avenue, at public hearing
on highway plan changes before the
District Commissioners today.
Representatives of the Washington
Board Of Trade, the American Auto
mobile Association, the Annapolis
Chamber of Commerce, the City Club,
the Beaver Dam Country Club, the Bay
Ridge Civic Association, the Sherwood
Forest and Epping Forest Clubs Joined
in demanding that the line of Mary
land avenue be left intact to provide
direct avenue for traffic from the
Capital through Decatur Heights to
Annapolis.
Many speakers called attention to the
"intolerable" traffic conditions inme-'
diately on this side of the Bladensburg
Cross, especially on Sundays and holi-
days. s
Work on Highway Plans.
The speakers declared that the Mary
land Park and Planning Commission is
at work on plans for highway connect
ing with Oklahoma avenue at the Dis
trict line, continuing through Decatur
Heights, and joining the Defense High
way above Bladensburg. Thus RESI-
dents OF the Annapolis section would
be able to enter by way of Decatur
Heights and avoid the BladenSburg
"bottle-neck" altogether.
To abandon the line of MARYLAND
avenue and shunt traffic along M street
to Oklahoma avenue would be folly, Col.
Robert Lee Longstreet of the Board of
Trade declared.
Robert Howard, property owner
declared that If Maryland avenue were
to be abandoned and the highway plans
wait for completion of Oklahoma ave-.
nue., it would take seven or eight years
for the reclamation work in Anacostia
Park to progress to the point where it
would be possible to build the highway.
BY that time. he said, property in
adjacent Maryland would be so subdi-
vided that it would be impossible to
carry through the highway plans.
Realignment Is Opposed.
E. d. Campbell, representing property
owners In the tract bounded by Iouoh
boro road, Foxhall road, Conduit road
and Chain Bridge road northwest, OBJ
lected to a proposed realignment Of
University Terrace in that section and
suggested that its curve be moved
farther east so as to take less land of
the property in question.
Victor j. Evans represented by At
torney Ralph H. Case, objected to the
widening Of Foxhall road by taking
land of his property in the same sec
ton, and also to the extension of Cathe-
dral avenue through his property.
A proposal to relocate streets In the
area at the end OF Sixteenth street
northwest, bounded by the District line.
thirteenth street and Kalmia road
northwest was postponed at request of
the Maryland National Park and Plan
ming Commission.
There was no objection recorded to a
proposal to remove from the highway
plan the present Forty-seventh street
and @ street in the area bounded bv
Central avenue, Forty-ninth street
Payne'S Cemetery and Bcnaing road
northeast, and 10 substitute for these
highways curved roads following the
topography OF the land more closely.
"A proposal to abandon H and
streetS northeast between Eighteenth
street and Bladensburg road. and to
make q slight change In the angie
where K street strikes Oates street. met
with no objection except for a sugges-
ton from w. j. Latimer hat the line
OF K street be altered slightly. District
surveyor Melvin c. Hazen stated there
was no objection 10 the alteration.