Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-09
D. c. TO COMPLETE
18TH STREET LINK
Work Will Start to Finish
Gateway to Montgomery
Road.
BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY,
StafY Correspondent OF The Star.

Stan Correspondent of The Star.
SILVER SPRING. Md, September
9.-Another link in the network of new
highways in the metropolitan district
planned as part of system to move
traffic to and from the District of Co
lumbia by way of the Sixteenth street
gateway will be completed and opened
this Fall, it was learned today. This
link will be the paving in the District
of Sixteenth street, northwsrd from
Kalmia road to the District Line, there
to connect with the new east and west
direct highway between Sligo and
Bethesda.
Real estate development along this
section of Sixteenth street has been
held up because of the lack of street
improvements. However, with the APP
proach Of the completion of the direct
highway, Montgomery County leaders
pointed out the need of this District
end of the improvement, so that the
So-called north portal could be de-
Veloped. The new east and west high
way will permit traffic to come from
Wisconsin avenue at the entrance to
the business section of Bethesda by an
almost direct route to Sixteenth street,
and traffic from the east end of the
county may use the same roadway, and
thus avoid the business section of Sill
yer Spring and Georgia avenue in the
District of Columbia.
d. C. Decides to Act.
The District of Columbia Commits
sioners decided to build the necessary
Washington link Of this system, follow
ing q conference with Senator Willard
F.. Tydings Of Maryland the latter part
of last week. Senator Tydings informed
e. Brooke Lee, Speaker Of the House
of Delegates of Maryland and county
Democratic boss, that the laying Of the
paving on this link would be started
about September %.
According to a statement of Senator
Tydings, made public by Maj. Lee, this
work, which was to have been COM
menced in August, was delayed because
the grading, which had been finished
last Fall, did not give sufficient surface
width for widening North Portal Park
at the intersection of Sixteenth street
and the District of Columbia Maryland
boundary. The roadway. 160 feet wide,
has been graded to the Maryland State
line since the Fall of 1928, the state
ment says.
1t was explained, further, that the
center strip of concrete roadway, so
feet wide, will be started in the next
two weeks and the entire width OF
the street will be paved at later date
when the shoulders on the new fill have
settled sufficiently to permit the WIDEN
ing of the section of the highway
adjacent to North Portal Park.
All of the District Commissioners and
Capt. Whitehurst, Assistant Engineer
Commissioner of the District, were
present at the meeting with Senator
TydingS at which it was agreed to 60
ahead with the work.
The section of the East-West high
way between Wisconsin and Watkins
avenues and the old Georgetown road
and Connecticut avenue has been COM
pleted and is open to trafiic. In this
unit is large concrete bridge crossing
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad tracks.
The laying of concrete in the section
east, of Connecticut avenue to the old
Brookevllle road also is completed,
together with the short section between
that road and the new bridge which is
being erected over Rock Creek.
The contractor now is laying the con-
crete west from Sixteenth street, at
the District line, where it will connect
with the Districts roadway, and is pro-
ceeding to the Rock Creek Bridge. In
order to rush this section, the coma
tractor is said to be working his crew
at night. From Sixteenth east to the
new viaduct under the metropolitan
branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail-
road, west of Sligo, the concrete has
been laid for some time, as has also the
surface from"east of the viaduct to the
intersection of Georgia avenue at Sligo.
Working on Viaduct.
The contractor now is working on
the viaduct. A deep cut has been made
on the east side, and the shovel now
is working on the west side and Is ex-
pected to come through next week.
The railroad company has completed
the task of driving the piles necessary
to support its tracks during the opera
tons.
Upon completion of the District |
roadway on Sixteenth street and the
viaduct, traffic to and from the City
of WASHINGTON bound to and from the
North and East will be able to reach |
Baltimore by a direct route over the |
ColeSville road to White Oak, thence on |
the Columbia Pike through Falkland |
and Burtonsville to Laurel, where 1t
will connect with the widened section |
Of Acknowledgment Boulevard;
BY the same direct highway trafhc |
bound for the West will be able to use !
this road, clearing much of the traffic |
area in Washington and the Bethesda !
district, as the new road enters W1scon-
sin avenue at the very northern end OF |
the business district.
County Commissioners Benjamin c.
Perry and Lacy Shaw, president and |
vice president, respectively, Of the board |
of Montgomery Commissioners, are |
given credit by Maj Lee for bringing |
about the successful completion Of the !
new roads, including a ver1table net |
in the eastern metropolitan district |
connecting with Takoma Park and |
Prince Georges County. All of the |
roadways, with new concrete surfaces, |
have been completed in this section.
According to Maj. Lee, the new direct
highway will be ready for opening |
early next month when elaborate cere-
monies will be held, celebrating the |
opening of this highway and the north |
ern portal at Sixteenth street and the |
District Of Columbia line. Both the
chambers of commerce of Silver Spring |
and Bethesda have named special COM /
mittees to work out the program.
SILVER SPRING WORK.