Evening star., 1934-11-07


The commission will pass finally on
the re-routing case when Engineer
Commissioner Daniel I. Sultan. COM
pletes his work of defending District
estimates before the Budget Bureau.
1t now has briefs before it from Rob-
erts, the Capital Transit Co. and the
Washington Rapid Transit Co.
The last-named company pointed
out in its brief that several Of the bus
lines mentioned in the various plans
would offer unfair competition against
its lines. 1t asked for extensions of its
own lines rather than new bus lines in
Takoma Park or along Constitution
avenue. 1t also objected TO placing
any new bus lines on Twelfth street
and to any track construction at the
intersection Of Thirteenth and H
streets.
New Rerouting Plan.
An entirely new rerouting plan, call
ing for the construction of no track in
any new location, was submitted to
the commission by the Capital Tran
sit Co. yesterday afternoon. The plan
is the cheapest Of all which have been
submitted up to date. Company Off
cials estimated it would cost, in neces-
sary changes to track work, 81, ,l55. 700,
while the cost of the previous cheapest
plan. filed by the commissions chief
engineer. Fred A. Sager. was $685.
200. a difference of s473, 500.
The Sager plan called for construc-
ton Of a double line of track on F
street between Fourteenth and Fiji
teenth streets as means of replacing
track capacity to be lost when quad
ruple tracks are eliminated on New
York avenue and on Fourteenth street.
The new plan leaves the track in E
street east of Fourteenth street undis-
turbed (this track had been removed
in all previous plans) and does not
provide for any left turns from Four
teenth street into Pennsylvania ave-
nue.. a feature common to all previous
plans.
The company admits that under the
system of rerouting it sets up there
are two serious defects. One is that
part of the Chevy Chase service is
routed on U street to Eleventh street,
down Eleventh to E and then out to
Catholic University or Brookland by
way of Ninth and G streets, Massa-
chusetts avenue and North Capitol
street.
As a result the Brookland service
does not get into the downtown sec
tion anywhere west Of Eleventh
street.
Direct Service Provided.
The plan provides for direct service
between Fourteenth street and Colo
RADIO avenue and the Bureau of En-
craving and Printing. Some OF the
cars going south on Connecticut ave-
nue. enter Seventeenth street, go
west on Pennsylvania avenue to Fiji
teenth, south on Fifteenth to Penn
sylvania avenue and thence east.
Others go down Seventeenth street
to H street, across H street to Four
teenth, south on Fourteenth to G.
Cars from Tenleytown. Thirty
sixth and Prospect streets, Cabin
John, and Rosslyn all are routed
over Pennsylvania avenue, the ones
from Wisconsin avenue entering at
M street.
On this subject the company said:
cat the hearing we sug-
pested to the commission that if this
change were made the tracks on P
street and Dumbarton avenue be
continued in operation as far east
as Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth
streets, making connections with
PENNSYLVANIA avenue along those
streets. It was pointed out that this
plan would continue to give rail serv-
ice to the residents in this part of
GEORGETOWN which many of them
have expressed a wish to retain.
This change would not affect the
general plan Of bringing the two
suburban lines down Pennsylvania
avenue rather than down Connecti-
cut avenue, but would take on OF
M street much of the car movement
which it would otherwise carry. Our
further consideration of this matter,
strengthened by comments which
have been made by residents OF the
area affected, confirms the position
previously taken and we urge that
the commission reconsider this action
before track changes already ordered
are made"
The company also asked the COM
mission to reconsider its order for
loop for Potomac Park cars around
Eighteenth street, Pennsylvania ave-
nue., Nineteenth street and Virginia
avenue, saying that this would be
convenience to motorists at the ex-
pense of the car company.
As intermediate Plan.
In offering its plan. the company
said it recommended its adoption las
an intermediate plan, to be put into
effect as soon as possible in order to
provide coordination between the
transportation systems formerly op-
Grated separately.
This approval should be gwen
with the definite understanding tnat
it is an intermediate plan and that
as further study of the riding habits
and riding needs Of the public de-
velop, additional track changes will
be made and additional new track
constructed. This conclusion Is
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