Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-18
Grade Crossing Elimination.

With the rather laconic comment that
"the committee was not sympathetically
inclined at this time to the expenditure
when projects :. of more Importance
are pending" the House appropriations
committee struck from the District bill
an item for elimination OF the Chestnut
street grade crossing and the construc-
ton of an underpass at Fern street.
The Senate put the item back in the
bill, and, together with other changes,
1t Will be settled when the bill goes to
conference.
OF course, the matter Of relative i'm
portance Of items In the District bill Is
one that taxes the deep thought and in
,genuity Of the legislators. Spending
,s31l.00o on eliminating this grade cross
ing, where four persons have been
killed, or $soo.ooo on farmers produce
market In Southwest washington, for
instance, presents q nice question. A
good many citizens OF Maryland and
the District use the grade crossing.
Many downtrodden farmers Of Virginia
produce market. But as Congress def
nitely insists upon the latter, the Senate
has taken the wise course In approx
ing both. The House should agree.
After two deaths had occurred at the
Chestnut street crossing, one Of them q
boy on his way to school, the other a
watchman who attempted to rescue the
boy, Congress, in 1927, passed a grade
crossing elimination act, authorizing,
with others, the Fern street project.
Subsequent to the passage Of this act
an automobile containing three persons
was struck by q train at the Chestnut
street crossing. Two Of the occupants
were killed and another was seriously
injured. The Commissioners included in
their estimates this year the item to so
ahead with the elimination Of the cross
ing, but the House struck 1t out, as re-
lated above, and the Senate restored 1t.
It is estimated that between forty and
fifty trains pass over this crossing every
day and that the number Of vehicles
crossing the tracks during the same in
Z tervAl u close b one thousand. The
crossing Ia guarded by . flashing light
and, during the daytime. q Waterman.
But these are OBVIOUSLY inadequate pre-
: cautions. There 1s no excuse for fur
ther delaying the removal Of the mem
ace, and II there Il delay responsibility
for the next death viii not be hard to
place. Congress has authorized this
project as much a. It authorized the
farmers produce. market. Between the
safety Of children on their way TO
school and the storage Of farm produce
from the South there IL nothing left TO
, bubble about. District residents, II they
could speak. undoubtedly would prefer
the former.
The Senate has left the grade-cross-
. ing elimination program, 90 . whole,
rather indefinite, a. regards another i'm
portant project. It eliminated the Mon
roe street overpass improvement which
the House had accepted as q substitute
for the Michigan avenue project and
left to the District committee the task
Of starting through the mill, as q sep
arate piece Of legislation, the Michigan
> avenue project. This was done and the
Senate has already passed the bill. The
House committee has not yet reported
1t, but. should speedily do so, and the
House should pass it. The project is
not only designed 10 remove another
dangerous crossing. but involves an I'M
portant highway project favored by the
District authorities and the National
CAPITAL Park and Planning Commission.
Some years will be required to complete
It and action should be begun immedi-
ately, In order that the necessary ap-
preparation can be made this year.