Evening star., 1933-10-08

Creek Park and the familiarly
called Speedway appears much
nearer with the recent release
of the gasoline tax money which
provides the Engineer Department FUNDS
to carry out the construction OF the
new P street bridge, necessary for the
project.
of the two parks cannot be over
city and 20 the many tourists. Aces
sibility to these parks by picturesque
drive, free from the traffic of the
municipal streets, is much to be desired.
Rock Creek and the Potomac River
surroundings afford natural beauty at
all times of the year.
Intersection Dangerous.
Much has been said about the narrow
entrance or exit now used at the south
ern end of the driveway now completed:
The intersection at Twenty-Second ana
P streets, by the Church OF the
Pilgrims. is a constant source Of danger.
During rush hours the congestion Is
very bad There Is no reason for the
narroWneSS at this point. The roadway
could be widened easily.
OF course, the intersection will not
be used as mucn when the entire drive
way is completed but no intersection,
no matter how little used. should be
allowed to remain a trattlc hazard.
Now, Washington is soon to get the
new bridge over P street, so that the
park drive can be continued underneath,
but no plan Is being made for an outlet
on the other side of the stream at r
street. 1t could be easily worked out
at small expense. The bridge work is
under the District Highway Depart
ment, but the entrances to the PARK
drive are under the Public Park and
Planning Department of the Depart
ment of Interior. Cooperation between
these two Offices should be accomplished
so that WasningtonianS and their out
of-toWn visitors might receive the
greatest benefit and enjoyment. An
entrance or exit from the park at the
west end of the bridge would divert the
flow of traffic and do its part In pre-
venting congestion and danger. The
small bridge at Twenty ninth street
and K also should be widened, for at
present it allows one narrow lane each
way.
Letter Of MotOrist.
Along the above lines an interested
motoriSt writes in the following:
The proposed extension Of the ROCK
street bridge offers a valuable trafhc
possibility, which does not seem to
have had the attention it deserves. At
the present time the outlet from this
driveway onto P street, near Twenty
second, results in good deal OF con-
gestion which need not be discussed,
because it is all too familiar to those
driving through that region. The un-
derpass will relieve this congestion to
some extent, but according to pres
ent plans only at the cost OF a detour
around by Georgetown, which will be
unWelcome to most of those using the
driveway to 60 to the business section
of the city It has been suggested that
this outlet through Georgetown Is all
that is needed. But it seems to have
been overlooked that the majority OF
those using the parkway are going to
business sections, where they Will pre-
fer the street congestion, rather than
an eight block detour through George
town, which will still leave them long
way to go through traffic.
If the underpass should divide, part
of it coming up to meet Twenty-third
street, everybody could be satisfied and
the traffic congestion could be very
much relieved. Twenty-second street
carries a good deal of traffic, which
comes down from Massachusetts, ave-
nue.. The parkway traffic now COM
bines with that Twenty-third street
would drain it off, allowing it to turn
eastward along several streets which
are not congested at all. A good deal
of it could 60 to Pennsylvania avenue.
Twenty-third street is largely useless
at present; the plan just proposed would
make it very useful"