Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-27
Park and Planning Commits
sion Urges System to Create
Greater Capital City.
MANY DEVELOPMENT
FACTORS ARE INV0L WE'D
Proposal Held Linked With Schools,
Street Lighting, Traffic, Trees
and Civic Protection.

was advocated by the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission today
in its annual report
This plan for major streets proposes
the improvement of a comprehensive
system of wide, direct arteries in which
the vital traffic flow of the community
may freely move" the commission as
sertS. ITO develop such a system re-
quires an acceptance of the principle
that all streets are not of equal i'm
portance in the circulation scheme that
some are of much greater value to the
community than others, and that it is
advantageous to select these conimuni-
ty routes and work consistently upon
them until they function as system. F"
Need for Plan Here.
There is in Washington and vicinity
urgent need for the promotion of the
major thoTou2llfarc idea If streets of
this type can be set apart from all
minds of officials notable step will
have been taken toward the creation
of more perfect Capital City.
Franchises for car or bus routes
cannot be discussed intelligently with
out a major thoroughfare plan. Traf-
f1c regulations. such as those restrict
ing the movement of vehicles of GER
related to the major thoroughfare Sys-
tenn Street lighting plans, traffic sig
nails, paving specifications, school and
playground sites, location of neighbor-
hood store centers, fire and police sta
tions, ee-planting policies, even deed
restrictions on private property, all are
dependent upon designation OF major
thoroughfares.
Aid to Subdividers.
"a subdividee must move somewhat
In the dark if he does not know where
the thoroughfares of the district in
which he is operating are or will be.
1t will be increasingly helpful to all
Washington to have an official major
thoroughfare plan.
Through the cooperation of the
Washington Board of Trade a special
committee from that body was set up to
study and suggest revisions of the
thoroughfare plan. Under the chair
manShip of George v. Graham, the
committee held over IL meetings with
the staff of the commission and made
several very valuable suggestions AS a
result of those suggestions some adj
ditions to the thoroughfare plan have
been made by the commission (notably
the extension of New Hampshire ave-
nue), and the plan as whole has been
brought up to date.
Important Step Taken.
"An important step forward toward
execution of the ma -thoroughfare
plan was taken by the SEVENTEEN Con-
gress in approval of a project for
Strengthening Michigan avenue in the
vicinity of the Soldiers Home and
Trinity College. A short distance
beyond the point where the straighten-
ing of Michigan avenue has just been
completed a grade crossing OF the
Baltimore g. Ohio Railroad tracks intro
duces a danger point in this important
arterial highway. A plan for the elimi-
nation of this grade crossing has been
prepared by the staff of the commission
which would provide 60-foot roadway
passing north of the present buildings
facing on Michigan avenue east OF the
railroad. Authorization for construc-
ton of viaduct along the lines 1nd1-
Gated is included in bill which has
passed the Senate and is now before the
House of Representatives.
THE commission has prepared care
full studies to provide an adequate cross
town route in the vicinity of Columbia
road and Harvard street from Sixteenth
street to the Soldiers Home These
studies indicate that the most econom-
ical solution of this problem is the de-
velopment of these Two streets as paral-
lei one-way streetS-Columbia road fof
westbound traffic and Harvard street for
east-bound traffic To secure the proper
functioning of such a system OF trafhc
it is necessary to remove the two off,
sets of Harvard street at Georgia avenue
and at Fourteenth street. The commits
sion Endorses legislation,t to authorize the
strengthening of Harvard street at these
points.
High Bridge Urged.
THE exchange of traffic between sec
.E NfA tod
Creek Valley is impeded and made I'M
duly expensive by the present necessity
fer such traffic going down as much as
900 feet into tie valley and climbing an
equal height on the opposite side. More
over, the passage of heavy stream OF
traffic over steep grades and across the
park roads is a constant danger and a
detriment to the park AT least one CT
the projects for high-level bridge up
gstream from the Calvert Street Bridge
should be adopted at an early date.
Another project included in the
thoroughfare plan and deserving OF
early consideration is the extension of
Vermont avenue to Georgia avenue at
Trumbull street. The utility OF YER
mont avenue 160 feet wide) is greatly
restricted by the inadequacy Of the
streets into which 1t runs at Florida
avenue The commission is studying a
plan for extension of this main high
way and at the same time prOVlulng
connection between w street and Trum-
bull street which would facilitate traffic
movements in this part OF the city.
Would Change Bridge.
Under the Union Station terminal
act of February %, 1903, Ninth, Twelfth
and Fifteenth streets are % be carried
above the railroads by suitable VIA
duct bridges, the cost whereof, with
three approaches within the limits OF
the right of way shall be paid by the
terminal company. The studies OF the
commission indicate the desirabflity Of
slightly changing the location OF the
proposed bridge at Ninth Etreet to make
and Brentwood road with Brentwood
Park patterson tracD The proposed
bridge at Fifteenth street might vel
be relocated farther east. The appro
priation for paving New York avenue
northeast of the railroad tracks durin;
the fiscal year 1891 indicates that tn
construction of these two bridges nigh
advantageously be undertaken at tht
time and that legislation to carry on
these projects with the elimination Q
the Twelfth street proposal should b
sougnt AT tne hen' Sess'0ii % COS
I'm connection with the street tire
program it is especially important tina
the major thoroughfare plan should b
considered. The plan indicates tn
streets which may be widened in tn
future and along which 1t may be bet
ter to plant two rows Of trees or :
originally set a single row OF stree
trees back from the curb to allow 10
such widening without destruction c
trees"