Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-02
GRADE CROSSING
BILL FAILS TO PASS
Kensington Measure Is Re-
jected by House After
Senate Amendment.
By a stan Correspondent Of The star.

BY STAFF Correspondent of The Star.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. April 2.--Elimina.
ton of the railroad grade crossing al
Kensington will be put off for another
two years at least as q result OF the
action of the House of Delegates last
night when 1t refused to concur in Ger.
tain amendments placed in the bill In
the Senate by Senator Eugene Jones
of Kensington. The grade crossing In
that town has resulted In the killing
of several people in automobiles which
were hit by trains and there has beer
long dispute as to its location. The
mayor and council Of the town have
agreed on its location generally, in line
with the extension of Connecticut ave.
nue. across the tracks. while Senator
Jones asserted 1t should 60 near the
present grade crossing.
The bill as 1t passed the House pro-
vided a bond issue of 100000, half OF
which was to be spent In Kensington
and the other half for an underpaSs
west of Silver Spring ON the proposed
road direct from Woodside to the Dis
trict of Columbia by way Of Sixteenth
street. As 1t passed the House, 1t stip-
ulated the location Of the crossing as
agreed on by the mayor and council
Of the town.
Jones Amends Bill.
Senator Jones amended the bill to
provide that the crossing should be put
where he wanted it--that is, east Of
the railroad station-and 1t provided
also that it should be vehicular and
pedestrian crossing. In the place of
the Columbia boulevard underpass the
Senator put in several other projects.
cutting the total from 5000, 900 to $l40,-
900. The remaining $4,000 was to be
spent as follows: $4,000 for the inn
provement of the Columbia boulevard,
$4,000 for the improvement of Frank
lin avenue from the Silver Spring road
to Sexes Corner and 5000 for the inn
provement of Bladensburg road in Ken
sington from Concord street and Metro
politan avenue to the present overhead
bridge crossing the railroad tracks.
There was little hope that the origi-
nal bill would be approved by Senator
ing proposed by him was best, but the
up so that If he approved one he would
have to approve the other. There has
been much pressure from the towns
people for the elimination of the cross
ing at grade, on account of Its danger
to vehicular traffic, and 1t was planned
to have Montgomery County foot the
bill, instead of waiting for the State to
eliminate the crossing with the half
cent gasoline tax money, because 1t
will be a number Of years before there
will be enough for Kensington. There
are at least two other large projects on
the program before the Montgomery
town is reached. The first is the elimi-
nation of the crossing at Hyattsville on
the Baltimore Washington boulevard
and the second is the crossing at Cum
berland.
Question for Future.
1t Is probable that another session OF
the Legislature will be held before the
Kensington crossing can be reached ir
the ordinary course Of income under the
gasoline tax and the program as laio
down by the State Roads Commission
When the bill was reported back to the
House late last night with the amend
ments. DR.. Edmonds promptly moved
that the House not concur in the. SEN
ate amendments. which was done unani.
mously by the House and the bill killed
Shortly after this action the House
refused to concur on the bill amending
the bill providing funds for the Silver
Spring Fire Department, by increasing
the tax levy from 6 to 10 cents, and
providing for the appointment of two
paid firemen. As amended in the Sen
ate, the bill would have provided that
the funds would be paid to the treasurer
of the volunteer fire department to be
expended by him and that the two fire.
men would be appointed by the fire de-
partment. Charles Jones, son and adj
wiser Of the Senator, said that dele
CATION called on the Senator and asked
for these amendments. No explanation
was offered to the House for the amend
ments, and its action in killing the bill
followed.