Evening star., 1934-11-03
ROBERTS OFFERS
NEW S3,9)0,0()O
RER0UT|NG PLAN
Peoples Counsel Attacks All
Proposals SO Far Made
for Changes.
ElGHT-BLOCK TUNNEL
SUGGESTED IN SCHEME
Charge Made That Present Out
lines Fall Far Short Of Cap.
ital's Needs.

Peoples Counsel William A. Roberts,
in a brief prepared today for the Pub
lie Utilities Commission, attacks all
rerouting plans for the street car and
bus lines so far introduced and sug-
gests o radically new Set-up.
Roberts contends all rerouting plans
so far offered by the Capital Transit
Co or the commissions own engineers
are simply an effort to eliminate few
bad spots such as the quadruple tracks
on New York avenue and on Four
teenth street He contrasts this with
statements made by proponents OF the
merger resolution as to the millions
Of dollars to be spent in improving
service.
He suggests a new layout which
would cost $500 900. The most ex-
pensive OF the company propositions
would cost approximately 81 500 900.
Roberts says the latter figure amounts
to no more than the average annual
expenses for track Improvements for
the period 1920 to 1926.
Proposal Includes Tunnel.
Roberts plan is based on giving
superior service, particularly to the
Federal triangle area south of Penn
sylvania avenue. and the Federal
rectangle area to be developed west
of the White House. He proposes a
construction of a tunnel in the line
of E street from the District Building
to Twenty-secOnd street. and north
in TWenty-secOnd street from E street
to a point below F street.
Surface track woulo be built In
Twenty y-second street to Pennsylvania
avenue. Then it would be possible
for street cars operating eastbound on
Pennsylvania avenue to make a right
turn into Twenty-second street into
the tunnel. emerging in front Of the
District Building and rejoining Penn
sylvania avenue at about Thirteenth
and q Half street. This would elimi-
nate some of the extreme congestion
at Fourteenth street and Pennsylvania
avenue as much of the east and west
street car traffic would 60 through
the tunnel.
His second major proposition is to
built tracks on c street southwest
from Fourteenth to Seventh streets
so street cars travelling south on
Fourteenth street instead of coming
to a dead line, as at present, in front
of the Bureau Of Engraving and Prin-
ing. would continue east on c street
and north on Seventh street
Roberts suggests that the fare on
all street cars and all bus lines be
uniform. In this connection he has
some entirely new bus routes to offer.
He proposes to eliminate street car
tracks on Conndecticut avenue north
Of Porter street and on Wisconsin
avenue north of Nebraska avenue
and on Pennsylvania avenue southeast
east OF Eighth street, serving extern
tionS from these termini by buses.
One new bus line would start at
River road and go to the downtown
section by way of Wisconsin avenue.
Porter street, Thirty-fourth street,
Cleveland avenue, Calvert street. Con-
necticut avenue tacross the Taft
Bridge, Twenty-Second street. Vir-
ginia avenue and Constitution avenue
to a loop around Twelfth street.
Pennsylvania avenue and Ninth street
and thence back to the point of ORR
gin.
Second New Bus Line.
A second new bus line to serve the
area east of Connecticut avenue to
Rock Greek Park would be brought
down to Connecticut avenue and Por-
ter street.
A third new line to serve the Fort
Reno section would be brought down
to the same terminal.
Roberts estimated the new con-
struction called for by his plans would
cost s3,500,OOO, of which $4,000 900
would be for two tunnels, one the E
street tunnel already described and
the other short tunnel in Connecti-
cut avenue to permit street cars to go
under Dupont Circle instead of around
it. as at present suggested in all OF the
rerouting plans.
The cost Of the E street tunnel,
Roberts contends, should be borne en-
tirely by the Federal Government,
since its construction Is made neces-
sary by the congestion of Federal
Government workers IN the Triangle
and Federal rectangle areas. He sug-
gests that the cost Of the Dupont
Circle tunnel be borne by the Public
Works Administration.
Roberts says he has estimates show
ing that when the buildings in the
Federal rectangle are complete they
will house some 10000 employees and
that to load such a number during the
peak half hour would call for IS more
street cars during the period than 1t is
physically possible to accommodate on
the single track loop. which the COM
mission has ordered around Eight
zenith and Nineteenth streets, Virginia
and Pennsylvania avenues.
In his attack on the rerOuting plans
as they now stand, Roberts points out
that they are based on service in
which the street cars carrying the
maximum allowable load of passen-
gers.