Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-10
ASK CIVIC BODIES
|. TO FIGHT CLOSING
LOWER 18TH STREET
Board of Trade Opposes
Traffic Blocking During U. S.
Building Program.
TRAFFIC COMMITTEE
! TO HEAR VIEWS TODAY
Survey Shows Heavy Use Of Thor
oughfare by Vehicles During
Peak Hours.

Aid of the citizens associations of
the District will be sought by the
Streets and Avenues Committee of the
Washington Board of Trade in its fight
to induce the government to leave
Thirteenth street open below Pennsyl-
vania avenue in carrying out the Fed
eral buildings program, 1t was decided
by that committee at luncheon meet
ing at the Racquet Club yesterday. The
committee voted that George ". Graham,
chairman, write q letter to the various
civic bodies requesting that the Thir-
tenth street problem be taken up at
meetings Of the associations.
Board Of Trade Acts.
Another step in the Board of Trades
fight for retention of this through artery
will be taken today when Mr.. Graham,
as chairman of the Streets and Ave-
nues Committee, will appear before the
District Of Columbia Traffic Advisory
Committee to present brief setting
forth of the Board of Trades views.
A. thorough study and investigation
Of the street layout plan for the Fed
eral building program in the triangle
development was made by the board.
The brief points out that the business
section of the city ito which and
through which flows a great volume Of
passenger traffic and the largest vol
ume of commercial trafIic would be
completely blocked on from the larg-
est commercial centers in Southwest
Washington and Northern Virginia,
which Is important because Of the rapid
DEVELOPMENT of both these sections"
Thirteenth street, which it Is proposed
to block, the brief states, Is one OF the
key arteries of the city, which has re-
Gently been widened at great cost and Is
to be widened further north, and has
been chosen by the public as the main
downtown, axial thoroughfare, as indf-
Gated by figures resulting from q trafiic
count made by the board. Eleventh
street, which has already been cut of,
the brief continues, has also been
widened at great cost and Is the second
Of the two wide thoroughfares leading
to the avenue.
Survey Shows Heavy Traffic.
1.-THE Washington Board of Trade
made traffic survey at the intersec-
tons Of Pennsylvania avenue and the
streets entering the triangle SITE" the
brief states. "These traffic counts in
dictate that 3,109 vehicles passed the in
tersection of Pennsylvania avenue and
Thirteenth street within an hour at the
peak period in the evening; 2,724 We
tIicles passed the intersection at the peak
period in the morning. The Importance
Of Thirteenth street below the avenue Is
indicated by the fact that in the morn
ing from $50 to 8:45 o'clock, the peak
15-minute period, there are as many
vehicles going south on Thirteenth street
from Pennsylvania avenue as going east
or west on the avenue.
Thirteenth street, remaining open
through the triangle, would leave d.
rect route, eliminating congested areas
for the Virginia traffic getting to Rhode
Island avenue and Baltimore and Mary
land destinations II Thirteenth street
IS blocked at the Avenue trafic win stu
seek and use this wide thoroughfare, re-
CARELESS, because Fourteenth street, with
2 car line. is already congested TO the
limit and Twelfth street is too narrow
and cannot be widened north of the
Avenue, being only 48 feet. It is our
main through. trackless trunk thor
oughfare, draining the center of the
business district. The trafiic on this
street Is nov at the maximum. Taking
the present situation into consideration,
and adding to 1t the traffic which will
come with the $4,000 employees In the
triangle, you can readily picture what
ktlc AhAlC SltuaLlOn On Bnl8 street Will
be, especially when 1t attempts to re-
heve itself Of Pennsylvania avenue.
going east and west.
Program Il Indorsed.
TN view of these counts we felt iusti-
ned that Thirteenth street Is q KEY
problem. the closing of which, whether
justified or not, viii present a highly
complicated problem which cannot be
ignored and which will present to the
best experts an intricate problem to
solve"
Endorsement in substance of the five
year streets and highways building pro-
gram outlined by Capt. H. @. White
hurst, chief engineer Of highways for
the District, was voted by the Commit
tee on Streets and Avenues yesterday.
The group whole heartedly indorsed the
principle Of five-year program and
commended Capt. Whitehurst for his
efforts toward development Of such q
plan.
With Mr.. Graham presiding. 80 mem
bers attended the meeting. Short talks
were made by George Pitt, president
OF the Board Of Trade; Ben r. Webster.
vice president, and Charles Morris, sec
rotary, all Of whom were guests Of the
committee: M. o. Eldridge, assistant