Evening star., 1934-08-15
BEELER EXPLAINS
REROUT|NG PLANS
Public Hearing Gets Under
Way Before Public UtiI-
tiles Commission.

The public hearing on rerouting OF
the street car lines got under way
before the Public Utilities Commission
today. John A. Beeler. transit expert
retained by the commission, the first
witness, began lengthy explanation
of the three Beeler rerouting plans
already published in The Star.
William NICK. Clayton. representing
the Federation of Citizens Associa-
tions, asked at the outset of the hear
ing whether any consideration would
be given to the bus lines of the WASH
ington Rapid Transit Co, which has
not yet been merged with the Capital
Transit Co. Chairman Riley E. Elgen
of the commission said that rerouting
of those lines would not be considered
at this time.
Expert Witnesses TO Testify.
T. S. Settle, secretary of the Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission, said his commission
would offer three expert witnesses
later in the case. They are Harland
Bartholomew, j. c. Jeffers and J. A.
Rider.
Commissioner Elgen said these
witnesses would be allowed to testify
after Beeler was through. They will
be followed by Fred A. Sager, chief
engineer of the commission staff, and
then by witnesses to be offered by the
Capital Transit Co. and then by any
others who care to offer different
plans.
Corporation Counsel E. Barrett
Prettyman and Peoples Counsel Will
liam A. Roberts both announced that
owing to the shortness of the time
which has elapsed since the various
plans we're given to them to study
they would not question the witnesses
at this time, but reserve their ques-
tions until the hearing is resumed
after recess, approximately Septem-
Der 10.
Under questioning by Richmond B.
Keech, Beeler said he had been re-
tanned in a study Of rerouting in the
District in 1918. Since that time. he
said the principal changes in traffic
centration Of employees near the Bu-
reau of Engraving and Printing, in
the Potomac Park area and in the
FeQeral triangle area.
Riding Habits Altered. ...
Riding habits, he said, of the pop
ulation have been altered materially
by the merger Of the companies. fol-
lowed by universal free transfers on
street cars and the introduction Of
the weekly pass system.
After describing the manner in
which he and his associates made
their survey beginning last February.
he began an outline of the proposed
track changes.
He started with a reference to the
Takoma line Of the old Capital Trac-
ton Co. He proposes to abandon all
tracks on this line north of the in
tersection of Fourteenth street and
Colorado avenue and also the Butter
nut street extension Of the Georgia
avenue Takoma line.
Then, he said. the next proposal
was to bring Wisconsin avenue cars
to town by way of M street and Penn
sylvania avenue, thus permitting the
abandonment of tracks on Dumbarton
street, Twenty-eighth street and P
street as far east as Dupont Circle.
Next, the tracks around Dupont
Circle would be re-laid so that street
cars would not travel against the
flow of traffic as they do at present.
These proposals are common to all
three Of Beeler's rerouting plans.
which will be explained in detail dur
ing the hearing.
After Mr.. Beeler had completed his
outline of the rerouting features COM
mon to all three of his plans, his
associate, William H. Ahearri, took
the stand to explain the details of
plan /.
Plan 1 Details.
In this plan, new tracks are to be
built on Fifteenth street from H to
New York avenue, and F street from
Fifteenth to Fourteenth streets.
Eleventh street will have double tracks
from G street to Pennsylvania avenue,
and there will be loop for Eleventh
street cars around Eleventh, d, Tenth
and E streets.
Then cars east bound on H street,
such as the Mount Pleasant trolleys,
will go south on Fifteenth street as
far as F. and then turn east on r
street. Some of the Rock Greek cars
will turn south on Eleventh street at
U street, and terminate in the Elev-
enth street loop instead of coming
down Fourteenth as at present.
The Columbia line, which runs
along New York avenue, to stub end
in front of the Washington Building,
will be connected with the tracks run
ming west on Pennsylvania avenue at
Fifteenth street.
Cars of the Potomac Park group
which now enter Pennsylvania avenue
by way of Eighteenth, F and Seven
teenth streets, will continue straight
north on Eighteenth street and the
tracks on F and Seventeenth streets
will he aha pdnnod