Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-16
|FATE OF DISTRICT
| GRADE CROSSINGS .
| HANGS IN BALANCE
Legislation in Conference
Aims at Elimination OF .
Danger Spots.
lVIADUCT is PROPOSED
FOR MICHIGAN AVENUE
Widening of Monroe Street Over
pass and Chestnut Street Sub.
way Being Considered.

The fate Of the proposed elimination
Of the Michigan avenue grade crossing
and the widening Of the Monroe street
overpass at the Metropolitan branch
Of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
tracks in Brookland hangs in the bal
ance in pending legislation and the
final form of the District appropria-
lions bill now being whipped into shape
in conference.
An item in the budget bill approved
by the House, designed to widen the
Monroe street overpass and to improve
the approaches, was stricken out by the
Senate. At the same time, however, the
Senate passed bill authorizing con-
struction Of a viaduct over the railroad
at Michigan avenue. This bill author
ICES expenditure Of 100000 and
changes the authorization In previous
legislation to permit the straignten I,.
plans Of the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission.
Other Grade Crossings Involved.
Other grade crossing problems also
are up for decision in measures before
Congress.
An item for the elimination Of the
Chestnut street grade crossing by con-
struction of a subway at Fern street Is
contemplated in proposal for the ex-
penditure of $250,000, which was In
troduced by the Senate District COM
mittee and also passed the Senate.
This provision does not appear IN the
District appropriation measure as 1t
passed the House. Engineers encoun-
tered some difficulty, 1t was said, IN the
original proposal to construct q subway
az chestnut ctTanf G mart nf fhQ rYni-
ect was in the State Of Maryland.
With the extension of New Hamp-
shire avenue to the District line, as q
new route to Baltimore, there will be
q grade crossing created, unless other
provisions are made. The Federation
of Citizens Associations has recon-
mendec the construction of an over
pass.
At Franklin street an overpass Is
urged by the federation to enable school
children to proceed from the west side
to, the east side across the railroad
track. This overpass Is considered
necessary to relieve the trafic situation
also, it Is explained, as 1t Is now neces-
sary to 60 north to Michigan avenue or
south to South Dakota avenue to link
up with Blandensburg road, In view OF
the blocking Of traffic at the UNDER
pass of the Baltimore 81 Ohio Railroad
at Rhode Island avenue.
Federation Stand Outlined.
Thomas J. Llewellyn. chairman Of
the highways, parks and waterways
committee of the Federation OF CitlzenS
Associations, said today that the led
Grafton has gone on record urging the
elimination Of all grade crossings IN the
District of Columbia as rapidly as posi-
BILE. In the order Of priority. he ex-
planned, the federation would like to
see the grade crossing situation remed1ed
in this manner: An improved Monroe
street overpass; the elimination OF the
Michigan avenue grade crossing; the
elimination of the projected grade
crossing at the extended New Hamp-
shire avenue, which is to form q new
through route to Baltimore; the Fern
street grade crossing and the FRANKLIN
street grade crossing.
Appearing recently before the Senate
subcommittee with reference to the Fern
street underpass, j. Bond Smith, WASH
ington attorney, had this to say:
For a great many years the citizens
of the District Of Columbia have urged
the elimination Of the Chestnut street
grade crossing, the urgency Of which
has been accumulated during the past
several years by the fact that four
deaths have occurred at this particular
crossing, as well as serious injury to
q NTH person. In addition, seven small
children narrowly escaped death on
Christmas eve, 1928.
"The extension of Piney Branch road
win provide an adequate vehicular trat-
f1c highway, relieving traffic on Georgia
avenue and providing straight and de
rect route into Maryland through de-
sirably built-up residential section OF
Takoma Park and Montgomery County,
and ultimately into Prince Georges
County at College Park.
Future Fatalities Predicted.
'"The present Chestnut street grade
who Is on duty between z am. and
from 6 pm. to 2 am. The crossing Is
further protected by flashing red lights
indicating the approach Of a train. Not
these precautions, the
fatalities already referred to have oc-
CURED and will undoubtedly continue TO
occur.
A careful count Of traffic discloses
that during the daylight hours from
q m. to pm. on an average of TOO
vehicles cross these tracks daily. It Is
to assume that at least 500
additional vehicles cross these tracks
from pm. to Z am, and that the total
of 1000 vehicles daily Is a conservative
estimate. Between 40 and SO trains,
including some of the fastest trains
operated by the Baltimore & Ohio Rail-
road, cross Chestnut street every day
and 1t not infrequently happens that
east-bound and west-bound trains meet
t,tn