Evening star., 1936-07-20
TRAFFIC IS TIED Up
BY REROUT|NG Of
CARS DOWNTOWN
Passengers Desert Carriers
Caught by 14th and New
York Ave. Jam.
EFFECTS ARE WATCHED
FOR POSSIBLE CHANGE
Keech Says Some Difficulty in
Rush Period Was Expected.
$50 Workmen at Scene.

The new street car rerouting tied
downtown Washington traffic in knots
this morning in its first rush hour
test.
Street cars were lined up for blocks
in. all directions as a result of con-
gestion at and near Fourteenth street
and New York avenue. BY the time
many of the cars reached that point,
they were almost deserted Their
| occupants had left them for faster
travel afoot.
One Fourteenth street line con.
| ductor, looking at his watch sadly,
at Fourteenth and Pennsylvania ave-
nue., said:
We'll, should have been to the
Navy Yard and back to the Peace
Monument by this time"
Officials Watch Effects.
Meanwhile, officials Of the Capital
Transit Co., the Public Utilities Com
mission, and the District Traffic De-
partment were observing the tangled
traffic conditions in the downtown
area to decide on measures to i'm
prove the situation.
"Of course, the rerouting, as it was
begun this morning. is only an inter
mediate change" Richmond B. Keech,
chairman of the Utilities Commits
sion, explained
I'VE expected some congestion at
first, especially during the rush hour,
but viii have to watch the situation
for little while before We can decide
what changes, II any, are necessary"
Part Of the congestion. which the re-
routing was designed to eliminate, was
due to the presence of $50 workmen
completing the construction project
on Fourteenth street between New
York avenue and H street, Keech ex-
planned.
New MeS en- EG..
Let c. tie :S.ctc-=ce. were gc!.g
cVe- I!!:ss..-- =sw -oC1ss :c- L..e Est
tine, too, which added somewhat 70
the confusion. and trafic lights, timed
to the old trafic demands, have not
been changed to handle the increased
north and south traffic on Fourteenth
street and east and west trafic on
New York avenue.
Unfamiliarity Of the public with the
new routes and the places to board
cars in transferring in the downtown
area was another cause given by street
car officials. At some intersections
traffic policemen had not become &C
cuStomed to the new routes.
Traffic Director William A. Van
Duzer announced several changes
would be made within day or two in
the timing of the lights, and a new
light is being installed at Fifteenth
and G streets to handle changed traffic
demands at that spot.
A three-way light will be installed
at Fifteenth street and Pennsylvania
avenue to permit through traffic east
and west and left turns to northbound
vehicles on Fifteenth street at Penn
sylvania avenue, Van Duzer said.
Increased Intervals.
The intervals for north-south traffic
on Fourteenth street will be increased
to accommodate the increased burden Of
street car movement. and other
changes which a survey being made
today may indicate are necessary will
be made as conditions require, he
stated.
Ofdcials of the street car company
expressed satisfaction with the success
of the overnight track change, which
put the cars into operation over their
new routes early yesterday morning.
Removal of the old track and laying
of the new was completed without a
hitch by a crew of 35s men, and cars
were running east and west on New
York avenue at SOC am. yesterday
only five hours after work started.
Cars were in operation north and
south on Fourteenth street at 6:6C
am, and at 7:50 the Mount Pleasant
cars, which turn west at Fourteenth
and H streets, also were in operation.
The job was in charge Of E. P.
Goucher, engineer of way for the COM
pany.
Begin in Wee Hours.
Shortly after midnight, IL crews
with acetylene torches began cutting
through the rails and the army Of
workmen were ready as soon as the
last car passed through at am.
yesterday to start removal Of the old
rails and replace them with new rails
and switches to accommodate the new
route schedules.
The two outside tracks on the $50
foot stretch will be abandoned. but
will not be removed until later,
Goucher said. The rerouting viii speed
up street car and automobile trafic
at the intersection, one of the busiest
In the city.