Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-09
Northeast Section Agrees on
Abolition, But Not on Order
of Procedure.
MICHIGAN AVENUE GROUP
HITS GRADE CROSSING
Question of Abolishing Bottle Neck
Viaduct May Be Aired in
Congress.

IIdCkS Oh Tie MSbIOpOAAtnu pldA1SA Va
the Baltimore g. Ohio Railroad, In the
shadow of the Catholic University of
America, or the "bottle-neck" viaduct
over those same tracks at Monroe
street?
Around the answer to this simple
question hinges controversy that Is
agitating the interested Northeast sec
ton of the city. The row has its rever-
berations downtown, and Is likely 70
be aired in Congress.
Now pending before the House APP
preparations committee for conSidera-
ton with the District Of Columbia APP
preparation bill is a Bulge Bureau rec
ommendation urging an item Tor
S145, 900, which contemplateS improve
ment of the Monroe street overpaSS and
provides that "the tracks and right OF
way of the said Baltimore & Ohio Rail-
road Co. at Michigan avenue in the
District of Columbia shall be forever
closed against further trafac Of any
kind"
Budget Bureau oficials are hazy IN
their recollection of the arguments used
before 1t some six months ago with
reference to the Michigan avenue grade
crossing, they said, in view of the enor-
nous mass Of business that passes
over their desks. There are no steno-
graphic ICCO1uS ACpO Va ASoAAASS SSASAS
the bureau.
Railroad Would Pay Share.
The item in controversy, involving
Michigan avenue and Monroe street,
provides that one-half of the total
cost of constructing the work shall be
paid by the railroad company to the
District.
Ofacials of the corporation counsel's
office, however, explained that there Is
no broad, general provision OF law re-
curing railroad companies to bear part
of the expense in eliminating grade
crossings, but this is usually taken care
of in the particular legislation under
consideration.
Consideration of the pending contro-
versial items raises q number OF vital
questions. Tmong these are: If the
Michigan avenue grade crossing Is
closed for an interval of several years,
might it not be extremely difficult to
persuade the Baltimore g. Ohio Rail-
road that 1t should pay part Of the ex-
pense of constructing q new overpass2
Should an overpass be constructed In
the present line of Michigan avenue, or
should that thoroughfare be straight
ened north of the present line, with
an adequate overpaSs? Would the
widening of the Monroe street overpass
and the Strengthening of Michigan ave-
nue., with an overpass to eliminate any
grade crossing, mean an increase in the
Districts tax rate II both we're carried
forward Immediately? Is the Monroe
street overpass really dangerous now7
How long would it take to condemn the
property necessary to construct the
Strengthened Michigan avenue and its
overpass? Would an overpass in the
f~k
shadow the buildings in the Catholic
University group?
Citizens Protest Avenue Closing.
One Of the most important recent
DEVELOPMENTS In the controversy Is the
move foStered by the Michigan Park
Citizens Association, which insists that
Michigan avenue shall remain, and
which wants the grade crossing elm
mated as a dangerous hazard. A pro-
test meeting of interested property
owners Thursday night authorized the
naming OF a committee to draw uI
resolutions Of protest against the clos
ing Of Michigan avenue and to raise
funds to carry on q campaign.
The desirability of the elimination OF
the Michigan avenue grade crossing Il
readily admitted on all sides, but the
chief question is which major job In
that vicinity should be given preference
the Monroe street overpaSs or the
Michigan avenue grade crossing-oI
should both be done at once.
Those who want the bottle neck
overpaSs at Monroe street contend that
that is the more important job anc
must be done now, while advocates OF
the elimination of the grade crossing
and the Strengthening of Michigan ave-
nue. insist that theirs should be done
without delay.
The Star has collected q symposium
Of views of prominent interested AL.
thorities, giving a wide divergence Of
opinion on this subject, and these will
be given publicity in this series. In
brief, those who contend that the
Michigan avenue work should go for
ward Immediately emphasize that while
the Government is taking some Of the
kinks out of the thoroughfare between
Trinity College and the Soldiers Home
a 90-degree angle will be put in al
Monroe and Tenth streets II the grade
crossing is blocked. The rapidly grow
ing Michigan Park section is entitled
to consideration, they assert, for the
elimination of the grade crossing Is
needed at once, and the need viii be-
come more acute Is the section de-
velopS.
Charge Dangerous Condition.
Proponents of immediate improve
ment of the Monroe street overpass
and its approaches picture this thor
oughfare as one of the heavily Travelled
streets of the city, now forming one
of the main routes to Baltimore, by way
of Rhode Island avenue. The street
car tracks over the railroad tracks at
Monroe street, say they, make
dangerous condition for automobiles,
for at present the overpasS Is so mar
row that a street car and an auto
mobile, going in the same direction at
the same time, cannot operate in safety.
Studies by the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission show that
one solution of the question put for
ward is to straighten out Michigan
avenue, a little to the north Of the
present street line, with an overpass.
starting near the Maloney Chemical
Laboratory at Catholic University
This plan, officials pointed out, would
entail condemnation of the necessary
land for the street and but one struc-
ture, leaving intact both the laboratory
\ and the station, which Is called
University, a-stone's throw from the
| present grade crossing. This, they
maintain, would provide for straighten-
ing Michigan avenue, leaving the
| present Michigan avenue line as a serv-
| ice street to the houses beyond the
present grade crossing on Michigan
avenue. This old BIT of Michigan
| avenue would probably be called an
extension of Otis street.