Evening star., 1936-09-13
TRAFFIC HAZARD
/ OBJECT OF ATTACK
Keystone Automobile Club
to Start Drive on BIadens-
burg BcttIeneck.

Characterizing the Lanham-Blad-
ensburg section of the Defense High
way as the worst bottleneck in the
East" the keystone Automobile Club
yesterday announced plans for an in
tensive campaign to remedy week END
traffic jams in that sector.
The organization has actually been
working for more than a year to i'm
prove the Washington Annapolis
road, President George E. Keneipp
said. Numerous conferences with
State Roads Board officials have been
held, while the club made surveys at
the scene of the automobile impasse.
Shortly, however, Keneipp plans to
Join Bladensburg Town Commissioner
Vincent Osterman in strong plea
to the State agency for immediate re-
lief of the situation. They will prob
ably confer with Board Engineer
Nathan Smith in Baltimore this week,
while Keneipp will present results OF
the surveys.
Campaigned Since 1884.
Osterman has been campaigning for
improvement of the road since 1884
He recently discussed the situation
with Smith. who gave promises OF
"doing something" this Fall.
Nearly 10 per cent Of the home
bound motorists, caught in the Jam
over the fve-mile stretch from Lam
ham to Bladensburg each Sunday, are
WashingtonianS, according to Key
stone figures From car-to-car can
vases, conducted as the autos inter-
mittently advanced at snail-like pace
toward the Bladensburg Peace Cross
the club learned that an average OF
two hours is consumed in traverSing
the distance.
Wedging into the Bladensburg road
stream of cars from the two-lane, 90
foot-wide Defense Highway, isis
automobiles we're counted from 4 to
pm. one Sunday. Comments of the
drivers. their tempers, sharpened by
the delay, ranged from "caustic tc
worse" according to Keystone OBJ
servers.
Several Solutions Offered.
Pointing out that removal of spacia
limitations is the only solution to the
problem, the club has considered sew.
eral remedies. One is construction Of
an overpass at the Peace Cross. An
other is widening of the road. A third
Is extension of Kenilworth avenue tt
the Defense Highway, about mile
east of the cross. The last, Keneipr
said. is probably the most sensible
solution. from a financial standpoint
since it would cost only about s25 900
To frequent pleas, the State Boarc
has repeatedly responded with lack
of-money arguments. Admitting ar
overpass would be "very expensive
proposition" keystone officials advo-
cate the Kenilworth avenue extension
as temporary measure to relieve con-
gestion until new Washington-An
napolis thoroughfare can be built.
New Road Recommended.
Construction of a new highway, to
tCP1dNC t44C PACoN4 SO-AAAliS
road, has been recommended in re-
ports by the State Planning Commits
sion's Subcommittee of Highways anc
by the State Roads Board itself. Ir
March. 1885, the subcommittee stated
that the Defense Highway is an ex-
ample Of the "wastefulness Of con-
structing or rebuilding roads without
. longtime planning"
In the face of Keystone figures, re-
vealing traffic of 1915 automobiles
over four-hour period, are state
ments by experts that no two-hne
highway should carry a daily average
Of more than 1000 vehicles.
As a primary step in the campaign,
a meeting of Keystone officials and
the Prince Georges County Commits
sioners is under consideration. Oster-
man, working with the club, has re-
ceived support from residents through
out the Lanham-Bla adensburg area
The trip to Baltimore will probably
be made on Wednesday or Thursday.