Evening star., 1931-12-20
HEAVIEST TRAFFIC
ON HIGHWAY BRIDGE
Almost 1000 Vehicles Cross
Span in Hour, Survey
Reveals.

Almost 1000 vehicles per hour cross
the Highway Bridge over the Potomac
River during the daylight hours, making
it the point of heaviest traffic in the
vicinity OF the Nations Capital, accord
ing to counts made by the Bureau of
Public Roads of the United States De-
partment of Agriculture in the traffic
survey of the Washington regional area
now in progress.
Hourly Average Shown.
The exact hourly average on the
Highway Bridge in October was ! 1875
vehicles, based on counts made during
eight-hour periods Similar accounts
showed an average of 1,459 vehicles per
hour at Anacostia Bridge and I'LL at
Key Bridge, exceeding that at any other
points outside the downtown business
area and within the area surveyed and
indicating the importance of bridges as
controlling factors in the local traffic
movement.
The survey is being made at the re-
quest of the National Capital Park and
tion with the States Of Virginia and
Maryland and the counties surrounding
Washington in order to obtain data on
road usage which may be used as
scientific basis for planning highway
improvement. Work of counting traffic
started September 10, and sufficient
facts have already been recorded to
lead to tentative conclusions with re-
gard to traffic flow in the 20-mile zone
adjacent to Washington.
Next Heaviest Traffic.
Next to the three local bridges
the Washington Baltimore Boulevard
UNITED States Highway No. - carries
the heaviest and most uniform traffic in
this area At no point along the boule-
ward was the number of passing vehi-
cles less than 450 per hour during the
period of observation, traffic ranging
from this figure to approximately 1000
per hour at the Hyattsville overpass.
One vehicle in every five using this
route was a foreign vehicle g. e., reg
istered from States other than Mary
land, Virginia or the District of Colum-
bia). Traffic between 10 pm. and 6
am. was about one-eighth of the total
daily movement. and the night traffic
on this route was relativel'' greater than
on any other route in the Washington
area.
MARYLAND Route No. 5 to Camp
Springs was next in importance from
the standpoint of volume Of traff1c. AS
noted previously, the number OF motor
vehicles on the Anacostia Bridge aver
aged nearly 1900 per hour. However
traffic declined rapidly from the bridge
head and averaged only $50 per hour
at the intersection of Alabama avenue
and Naylor road, and declined to 142
per hour at the intersection with Marl-
boro road in Camp Springs Foreign
traffic was light upon this route, aver
aging about is per cent, as against 20
per cent on the Washington-Baltim
Boulevard.
South Of Alexandria.
q. S. south of Alexandria was
next in importance with averages OF
more than 400 per hour at the Fort
Hunt road and holding up to 800 per
hour near Guam Springs. Foreign We
hicles using this route were a higher
proportion of total traffic than upon
the Washington Baltimore Boulevard.
averaging "a per cent.
Route U. S. 211 from Key Bridge to
Merrif1eld is also heavilystraveled, more
than 1,100 vehicles per hour passing
over Key Bridge. This traffic decreased
rapidly to about one half that volume
in Cherrydale and Is about 135 per
hour at Merrifield Foreign vehicles
are about per cent of the total.
The Rockville Pike wisconsin ave-
nue) carries heavy traffic as far as
Leland street, with an average Of ap-
proximately 600 per hour. This aver
age drops to about 40 per hour, one
half mile north of Bethesda, because
of road construction. Between the in
tersection with the Old Georgetown
road and Rockville the average rises
to more than 200 per hour. Seven
per cent of the vehicles using this
route are Of foreign registration.
Heavily Travelled.
The Silver Spring Ashton route is
heavily travelled near Washington, an
average of more than 800 vehicles per
hour passing the station at the inter-
section Of Georgia and Sligo avenues.
This traffic declines very rapidly to
about 200 vehicles per hour at Forest
Glen road, a short distance from Sligo
avenue, and is less than 20 per hour
at the station / mile north Of Norwood.
Foreign traffic Is only about per cent.
Traffic on Virginia Route No. rs,
the Chain Bridge route to Fairfax,
averages a little more than 100 per
hour at Chain Bridge and drops to
about 40 per hour at Oakton. Foreign
vehicles are only 2 per cent Of total
trafic.