Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-28
LINCOLN MEMORIAL
REATRANSF ORMED
into BEAUTY SPOT
Rock Creek and Potomac
Parkway Approach to
Bridge Taking Shape.
UNDERPASS TO CARRY
HAMS POINT TRAFFIC
B Street, Bordered by Handsome
Structure, to Become Cere-
monial Avenue.

pieces with loneliness and aqlle. will
soon have plenty of company. for the
| engineers are Transforming the area or
the washington shore near the Airing
ton Memorial Bridge terminus into q
vision of utility and beauty.
Although the Great Emancipator
never saw an automobile, the god OF
traffic is directing the construction
around his great memorial. Washing
tonians can now see the skeletons OF
future construction work taking shape
as the engineers translate their blue
prints and sketches into concrete and
steel.
Jutting up above the Lincoln Memo
rial Plaza are the beginnings of the
ramp and ballustradeS that will repre-
sent the gentle slope northward of the
ROCK Greek and Potomac Parkway an
proach. This will lead from the plaza
down to Twenty-sixth and B stree. s
where the engineers are constructing a
plaza, where B street meets the Po-
tomac River. Motorists of the future
will then be able to drive on up to
Rock Greek and skirt its banks north-
ward through beautiful wooded valley
for miles into Maryland, which has
plans for carrying the park develop
ment on beyond its borders.
The Rock Creek and Potomac Park
way approach VIII take the motorist on
a gentle rise about II feet before
reaching the level of the Lincoln Memo
rial Plaza.
New Route to Hams Point.
At Twenty third and B streets there
viii be little plaza. Traffic coming
down from the Rock Creek and Po-
tomac Parkway and destined for Hams
Point will travel for a short distance
o.. 49,. 4
INTO the low-level drive at Twenty
third street and pass through the
underpaSs beneath the parkway ap-
proach across the Water Gate. which
VIII afford mooring for small craft. and
then through the underpass beneath
Arlington Memorial Bridge proper and
so into Potomac Park and to Hams
Point.
The Water Gate, which is now rapid
" taking shape, is artistically arranged.
Inc Two underpasses, one on either
side, are Symmetrically laid out.
TRAFFIC that will take the Iow-leveI
road wiz be destined solely for Potomac
Park. Traffic out of the Rock Greek
and Potomac Parkway destined for
transit over the Arlington Memorial
Bridge will go up the ramp, turn to
the right and thence across the bridge.
It win be possible for motorists to
cross Arlington Memorial Bridge by
taking any one of the roads now lead
ing into the plaza, which is to be raised
about feet to bring it up to the bridge
level
The National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission and the Fine Arts
Commission decided long since that
there should be no grade crossing on
the washington side of the bridge. The
TWO enterprises have been constructed
as the solution of this problem.
b Street, Ceremonial Avenue.
B street northwest is to become the
great ceremonial avenue of the National
Capital. This thoroughfare is to be
W1dened soon and along this pretentious
street will be such beautiful structures
as the new Bureau of Internal Revenue.
the new Department of Commerce. the
Pan American Union. the newly pro-
posed Public Health Building, the Ma
tional Academy of Sciences and the
projected building for the pharmacists
of the Nation
Lieut.. Col. U. S. Grant, Sd, vice
chairman and executive Officer of the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission, and his colleagues and H
g. WhitehurSt, co-ordinator and chief
engineer for the District OF Columbia
have directed their attention to the
traffic condition arising from the now
of traffic out of Potomac Park, near
the Bureau of Engraving and Printing,
on Fourteenth street. Capt. White
hurst is anxious to have an underpass
created at Fourteenth street, so that
traftic coming from Hams Point can
be distributed without interfering with
the flow of traffic en- Fourteenth street
Capt. Whitehurst hopes to be able
to include this project for relieving a
bad traffic situation in his 1888 pro-
gram. The commission has studied in
addition the possibility of having a
bridge constructed across the Wash
ington Channel from East Potomac
Park to Water street in order to re-
heve the park traffic congestion.
Plan Improved Approach.
The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission and the Co-or-
dinating Committee now have under
advisement q program for improving
the approaches to the Highway Bridge
on the Washington side. It Is pro-
posed TO alleviate an undesirable traf-
| nc situation at that point, by provid-
! ing increased facilities for getting into
Potomac Park.
While these plans are being pushed
| forward on the Washington side of the
Potomac and construction is beginning
to assume tangible shape, the engineers
are not idle on the Virginia banks OF
| the river.
The United States Engineer Office is
! engaged in 100000 hydraulic fill
| job in the construction of the Mount
! Vernon Memorial Highway, which will
| link up at Columbia Island with the
road leading to the crossing of the
Arlington Memorial Bridge.
Columbia Island, that hitherto vir-
| tual wilderness in the Potomac River
is to be transformed into park area
of beauty. Under the direction of Col
Grant, the Engineers will raise the level
| of the island to be flush with the bridge
floor This is being done by the exca-
! waiting OF the Georgetown Channel anC
by soil that will be taken from the Vir-
| ginia slopes, leading to Arlington Ma.
tional Cemetery.
Across the river. leading up the slope
from the smaller bridge in the Airing.
ton Memorial Bridge project that spans
Boundary Channel, the Engineers viii
soon be at work, gnawing away at thu
earth that stands in the way of the de.
velopment Of the memorial avenue thai
win lead from the Virginia bridge-heaC
into the entrance to Arlington Ma.
tional Cemetery.
The contractor is to be given thu
word to proceed shortly on laying thu
groundwork for this memorial avenu,
on the slopes of Arlington, and steam
shovels will be at work. Within nv,
years new picture will be presented
in the Lincoln Memorial area
/ Meanwhile staccato pneumatic ham,
! nners and steam hoistsaGpeak Justify o
the progress OF the Governments:
&.-f..