Evening star., 1932-02-29
WISCONSIN AVENUE
WIDENING PLAN IS
0. KID BY CITIZENS
Bethesda Committee Favors
One of Six Schemes OF
State Road Body.
TOTAL COST OF PROJECT
ESTIMATED AT s2o6, 900
Readjustment of Car Tracks and
Pole Replacement Would
Take $4,000.
BY HOWARD NJ. BAGGETT.
staff Correspondent Of The Star

BETHESDA, Md, February 2e-An-
proval of Plan D, one of the six schemes
OF the State Roads Commission for the
widening and resurfacing of Wisconsin
avenue from the District line, which it
Is estimated would cost S2O6 OLA vas
given unanimously by a special commit
tee OF the Bethesda section of the Mont
gomery Government Club meeting at
the County Building here Saturday
night.
The action of the special committee
VIII be reported to the next meeting Of
tne cluo to be called by DR.. BENJAMIN
=. Perry chairman. 1t is expected that
the committees recommendation will be
approved by the membership.
Cost Put at sI56,oOO.
With $4,000 of the cost of improving
the street promised the county by the
state Roads Commission, the estimated
amount which the work would cost
montgomery County would be reduced
10 Sl56,OOO. This sum, it was stated.
would come out of the funds allotted to
the western side of the suburban area
from the sale of the 81 900 900 road and
school bonds authorized to be sold this
year.
OF the total estimated cost of $2O6, 900.
the improvements to the street, includ-
ing repairs to the railroad bridge and
the installation of curb and gutter.
would cost s151, 900, with the cost of
the removal of the trolley poles. placing
OF steel poles at the sides of the street
and rebuilding the roadbed of the troll
ley line placed at $55,000. The Wash
lngton Railway g. Electric Co. has re-
fused to consider bearing any of this
cost, it was stated.
The plan approved by the committee
was one of six schemes, ranging in
cost, including the street railway work,
from S311 ,433 to $139, ,439, which were
explained to the Government Club by
Maj E. Brooke Lee, member of the
State Roads Commission, at recent
meeting.
Under plan D the street railway
tracks would be readjusted and the
track area paved with 9-inch concrete
paving. The plan also calls for the
resurfacing of the existing concrete
along the east side and the existing
macadam along the west side, with
2-inch bituminous macadam surface
course after the west side has been
brought to a suitable -ross-section to
receive the bituminous surface course.
The street would be widened to width
of not less than rs feet at any point
and in some places would be 10 feet
wide.
Would Have Uniform Grade.
This scheme would give the avenue,
extending from the District of Colum-
bia line to the Bank of Bethesda, a
uniform grade and would increase or
reduce the level of the car tracks as
necessary in various places to carry
out this croSs-section grade The en-
tire avenue, with the exception of the
center, would have macadam surface,
the center being paved in concrete.
During the discussion the paving Of
the center portion of the street, occu-
pied by the car tracks, with macadam
was advocated by some, but when it
was stated that it would be more eco
nomical to pave it with conrete than
to replace the rails, which would be
necessary were macadam used. the use
Of concrete on this center strip, which
would be 20 feet wide, was favored.
An attempt will be made, it was de-
cided, to get the street railway COM
pany to agree to the placing OF the
tracks in the exact center Of the street,
this not being the case at all points at
present.
r. N. Reindollar. assistant chief
engineer of the State Roads Commits
sion, who was present at the request
of the committee, opened the discus
sion by explaining the various plans.
All of the plans. he stated, contem-
plated the erection of steel poles at the
sides of the street and plans A and B
made necessary the abandonment of
the present rails Plan D is the best
if the use of the old rails is contem-
plated, he said.
Plan %" Accepted.
Hugh M Frampton moved the ac-
ceptance of plan D by the committee
and after considerable discussion this
motion was seconded by Robert e.
Bondy The advantages of this plan
we're detailed at some length by j.
Harry WEIGH. A figuring of the funds
which would be available under the
bond issue. showed that the necessary
monies we're provided in the road funds
allotted to the west side of the SUBJ
urban district to complete the work,
and the motion was unanimously car
ried
Present were Commissioner Robert
D. Hagner, Engineer Reindollar. Coun-
ty Engineer Harry B. Shaw. Deputy
Clerk James c. Christopher, Sd; Emory
H Bogley, chairman of the committee;
DR.. Perry, Thomas E. Hampden, Rob-
ert E. Bondy, J. Harry Welch, Hugh
M. Frampton, Oliver F. Busby George
P. Sacks, B. w. Parker and Judge r.
Granville Curry, the latter all members
of the Special Committee.