Evening star., 1935-10-24
NEW ROCK CREEK
ROAD LINK URGED
TO OPEN ARTERY
East Bank Zoo Sector Is
Advocated to Speed
Through Traffic.
PROJECT WOULD END
CONCERN FOR ANIMALS
Early Use Of Highways to Con-
stitution Avenue Seen if Plan
Is Adopted.

Development Of a new road along
the east bank of Rock Creek on the
edge of the Zoo property, to permit
the early opening of the Rock Creek
and Potomac Park through traffic
artery all the way from the upper
reaches of Rock Creek Park to Con-
Stitution avenue. was proposed today
by Engineer Commissioner Dan I. Sui
tan.
He suggested the work be done as
work-relief program and said the
development would be calculated to
eliminate worries of Zoo officials that
Zoo animals and bird life would be
disturbed if heavy traffic is allowed
along the present Zoo roads connect
ing with the parkway artery.
The proposal was advanced as Col.
Sultan announced that traffic could
begin moving Saturday along the sec
ton of the Rock Greek and Potomac
Parkway from P to K street. This
section will be ready for use Saturday
morning unless there is some unfore-
seen hitch in plans, according to Capt.
H. o. Whitehurst, director of high
ways.
Only One Section Unfinished.
Outside of the Zoo area section, now
barred to traffic, there now remains
only one short section of the parkway
road to be finished. This is the low
level crossing just north of the new
P Street Bridge and its approaches.
which are to be finished by next
Spring.
Beginning Saturday, traffic may en-
ter the parkway road at Calvert street
and Connecticut avenue and go TO the
downtown section via Virginia and
Constitution avenues, with but one
interruption, that at street. Until
the low-level crossing over the creek
is finished, it will be necessary for
traffic to come to the P street level,
go over the new P Street Bridge to
a lateral road to the west which leads
down to the south to the level of the
Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway
road. From there the road will be
open Saturday to Constitution avenue.
The special value of the parkway
road is that it will afford an uninter-
rupted passage to the downtown area,
or to Virginia, by avoiding the many
intersections and traffic congestion
that plague motorists on the regular
street routes. The project was planned
years age and has been carried for
ward step by step.
Protests Made by Officials.
Some time ago Zoo officials pro-
tested that heavy automobile traffic
along the roads in the Zoo section of
the park would cause trouble among
the animals and ducks quartered near
the present roads. When construction
of the new Calvert Street Bridge was
begun traffic in that section was shut
off. Otherwise traffic had been per-
mitted during daylight hours, but
halted at night.
District officials suggest that work
relief funds could be employed for the
building Of new road on the eastern
border of the ZOO property and on the
east bank Of the creek which would
take the traffic farther from the zoo
proper. This would mean building a
road approximately from the line Of
Cathedral avenue to Klingle road.
II sincerely hope this problem can
be solved in some way" said Col. Sul-
tan. THE opening of the special low
level traffic artery along the creek all
the way from the District line to Con-
stitution avenue would be great help
to the individual traveller and aid in
relieving congestion elsewhere"
Best Use of Road.
Capt. Whitehurst explained how the
best use could be made of the parkway
road beginning Saturday.
South-bound traffic now using
Twenty-ninth street in Georgetown
can move eastward over @ or r street
and then proceed eastward on P street
to the parkway entrance road west
of the p Street Bridge. North-bound
traffic will leave the parkway at the
P street entrance road and proceed
westward on P street. street has
been repaved as far westward as
Twenty-eighth street, and two-way
traffic is permitted there. West of
Twenty-eighth street, P street is one
way west-bound.
''The road from P street to the
main parkway road has been designed
as an entrance roadway and traffic
should proceed at a slow rate of speed
and with caution" said Capt. White
hurst.
Up to the present no entrance or
exit roads have been provided be-
tween P and K streets. The roadway
has a bituminous surface on a con-.
crete base and is 40 feet wide between
low curbs of the parkway type It
passes under the Pennsylvania avenue
and M Street Bridges and connects
at grade with K street.
UnyHIrNn