Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-14
BY WALTER r. McCALLUM.

portation developments in the areas in
Maryland and Virginia Immediately
around Washington indicate that be-
fore snow flies during the coming Win
ter the transportation arteries within
100 miles of the Nations Capital will
be in the we'll known pink of condition.
But in the meantime, while they are
being taken to the cleaners for reno
walton, they are tantamount to nothing
more than pain in the neck.
With the big time racing season due
to start within month at Laurel and
later at Pimlico, the Baltimore Pike,
favorite route of motorists to Baltimore
and the north out of Washington, is
SO completely torn up this side of
Laurel that it is a firSt-claSs nuisance
to fight ones way through the maze OF
trucks, road building machinery and
men who make up that intricate mass
of mechanism known as road construc-
ton accessories.
On the other pike to Baltimore, the
Columbia Pike, running through Eli
colt City, much the same process is
under way. From the Patuxent River
Bridge, few miles northeast of Ash
ton, to spot five miles north of
GAINESVILLE, the roadway is torn up, due
to the shouldering process it is under
going, and travel along this road is
hazardous and slow. Why is it that
the Maryland road authorities insist on
tearing up both roads at the same time
is beyond knowing, but the fact, never
theless, is that Washington motorists
going north through Baltimore over the
main thoroughfares must put up with
good deal of inconvenience, dust and
delay before they are in the clear on
the north side of these road improve
a. ut fl1a
mile-an-hour pace the Maryland regu-
lations permit
Down on the Defense Highway. the
short cut to Annapolis, where a roadway
was cut through virgin country few
years ago to provide shorter route to
the Maryland State Capital than the
old Marlboro Camp Parole road, widen
ing of the roadway by means of shoul-
ders is going on in Anne Arundel Couu-
ty, beyond the bridge over the Patuxent
River. But this side of the Patuxent the
road remains the same 16-foot-wide
strip of concrete that has become known
as man-killer, and certainly is not a
road where real pleasure may be had
from drive down through Maryland
east OF the Capital. On this road also
remains one of those motor traps in the
way of narrow bridges, which so many
people have called disgrace to the
State. Eventually this bridge over the
tracks of the Washington, Baltimore &
Annapolis electric line will go the way
Of all other narrow bridges, but for the
present it remains as it has stood for
years-a narrow cauSeway high in the
air over the railroad tracks, with blind
approach to a raised middle roadbed,
Hanked by narrow wooden rails which
would not take much push to precipitate
an automobile right through them onto
the railroad right-of-way, 80 feet below.
Why cars have not gone through those
rails before is not known. Probably 1t
is because most of the people who drive
the road know of that bridge and use
extreme care in approaching it. But to
a stranger, who trusts implicitly in the
good road sense of the constructors, it
is an extremely dangerous spot.
Today the Baltimore Pike from
Hyattsville, to a spot near Laurel is
torn up Between Beltsville and Laurel
it is not so bad, for here the first sur
face Of asphalt has been laid on the
concrete base and a 40-mile speed along
cept near Laurel, where some final
work is going on. But between Beltsville
and HyattSville the road is really fierce.
Eventually 1t will become as the road
from Laurel to Halethorpe, a fine
stretch of concrete where four cars can
run, with the single exception of the
road through Elkridge, which still is
narrow. But at present that part of the
road from BeltSville to Hyattsville Is
completely torn up and cannot be
Travelled at more than slow pace. And
eventually, also, the Maryland State
engineers will Straighten out the kink in
the pike which carries it through Elk
ridge. They are doing it now, saying
their message of modern road construc-
ton with great scoops, with steam
shovels and trucks as the kink Is being
Strengthened out which will carry the
pike around Elkridge and re-Join 1t
again where the Patuxtent crosses the
present road.
Over on the Ellicott City road, from
the Patuxent River bridge to a spot
well beyond GAINESVILLE, the road is SO
torn up that any kind of speed IS I'M
possible This roadway is not being
widened as is the Baltimore Pike, for
the road builders apparently have con-
sidered the Ellicott City road as a
secondary and alternate route to Baltl-
more, holding that the Pike will be the
main thoroughfare of the future, as IL
has been in the past. The Ellicott City
road is simply being shouldered, whach
1t needed badly, but while the construc-
ton work is going on 1t is Impossible
to make any real time over the roao'
And as the situation stands at present
one OF the shoulders is down, while on
the other side of the roadway there Is
drop of IL inches or more. To run up ON
the present shoulder may ruin tires, but
a car must turn out for a passing car.
and must also turn out to avoid the
road builders at their work. Arrange
mentS also are in progress for widening
the Frederick road which connects with
the Ellicott City Pike through Cations
VILE into Baltimore. This roadway for
about two miles east of the Baltimore
city line is an extremely narrow thor
oughfare, where two cars cannot pass IN
comfort. Widening here is badly
needed.
Meanwhile on the western side of the
city repairs are rapidly going forward
on the Warrenton road, which shortly
will provide an all concrete and maca-
dam surface straight through from Key
Bridge to Warrenton. just now the
road is badly torn up few miles from
Warrenton, but most of the surface is
in fine condition. and the motorist can
speed along at that laudable As miles an
hour rate specified in the new Virginia
speed regulations.
Going west and north toward Fred
erick, over the mountain road through
the Alleghenies to the west, the bridge
over the Monocacy River, which COL
lapsed several months ago, is being re-
paired, and this roadway Is out of use
There are, however, two alternate routes,
both over good hard surface road to
Frederick One of theSS Is the road