Evening star., 1938-06-28
CLEUNDERPASS
PROTEST MOUNTS.
Mjd-City Association Seeks
Delay, Denying Project
Will Speed Traffic.

terest of the general public welfare"
the Mid-City Citizens Association, at
long. stormy session last night in
the Thomson School, reversed its
earlier position and voted unanimously
against the project.
The association adopted q strongly
worded resolution of protest which
also is being circulated as a petition
among property owners and business
men in the vicinity Of Thomas Circle.
Copies were ordered sent to Secretary
of the Interior Ickes and the District
Commissioners
The association adopted a second
resolution calling upon Traffic Di-
rector William A. Van Duzer to ban
all parking, day or night, on all streets
within block of Thomas Circle for a
test period of two months and calling
upon the Commissioners to hold up the
underpass construction pending the
outcome of the test.
The association reached a vote on
the two resolutions shortly before mid
night after a discussion Of nearly four
hours in which Capt H. c. Whitehurst,
District engineer Of highways; Mr. Van
Duzer. c. Marshall Finnan, superin-
tendent Of National Capital Parks;
John Nolen, jr., director of planning
Of the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission. and Washing
ton I. Cleveland of the American
Automobile Association, participated.
Whitehurst Is GrilIed.
Capt. Whitehurst was subjected to
q grueling barrage of questions and
challenges as to the value of the I'M
derpass project in session which at
times lost all semblance of order and
resolved into heated group discussions
In various parts of the assembly hall.
Frank B. Hoffman, chairman of the
associations Streets and Highways
Committee and chairman of a special
committee Of property owners and busi-
ness men of the neighborhood, re-
ported that already the petition which
was adopted by the association has
been signed by two-thirds Of the prop
erty owners and nearly 100 per cent
of the business men in the vicinity
Of Thomas Circle and predicted vir-
tually unanimous opposition within
two days"
In the petition the property owners,
business men and association MEM
bers vigorously and earnestly protest
against the construction of an under
pass under Thomas Circle" for the
following reasons:
Il. That the construction of an un-
derpass under Thomas Circle will not
accomplish the proposed objectives to
relieve traffic congestion in and
around the circle, because facilitating
the fiow of traffic past Thomas Circle
will only jam it up at Scott Circle,
Sixteenth street and Massachusetts,
avenue NV and at Thirteenth street
and Massachusetts, avenue NV, by
reason Of the traffic lights at these in
tersections.
Loss Of Trees Protested.
-. That the construction of an
underpass as proposed will require the
widening Of Massachusetts, avenue to
the extent of approximately 221a feet
on each side, thus making it necessary
for the removal OF all the beautiful
trees on both sides of the street and
for cutting of of a great portion
of the front yards of the various prop
erty owners in the vicinity of the
project.
49, That at the present Massachu-
setts avenue property in the vicinity of
the proposed underpass is zoned resi-
Dental and the construction of the
underpass as proposed will give the
neighborhood commercial atmos-
phere, thus greatly injuring if not en-
tirely destroying property values along
Massa chusetts avenue NV.
a. That the construction Of the
underpass at Thomas Circle will not
only be destructive of the beauty Of
this part Of the city but it will also
entail a needless expenditure of money
1880 000) without essentially solving
the traffic problem in and around
Thomas Circle. That as a matter of
fact, facilitating the flow of traffic at
one point along Massachusetts, avenue
will only tend to make traffic conges-
ton more acute at other points along
the avenue than they are at present
and In addition will in the future con-
tinue gradually to make for more con-
gestion as traffic gradually increases in
the course of time.
IS. That the construction Of such
An underpass is not. under all the cir
cumstances, in the interest Of the gen.
eral public welfare"
Two Month Test Voted.
On motion Of Mrs. Mabel E. Crissey.
the association adopted resolution
calling for a two-month delay in the
Thomas Circle project pending test
ing of the effect Of a parking ban on
all streets leading into the circle on
the relieving OF congestion. The vote
followed an Intellectual effort by A. j.
Driscoll, association president. to force
. vote on a resolution to prohibit all
parking, day or night. In the area
bounded by Pennsylvania and Massa-
chusetts avenues and Fifth and Six
teenth streets NV.
Capt. Whitehurst reviewed the his
tory of the Thomas Circle project
which, he said, was part of a general
trafiic program which has been under
study since 1880 and to which District
and National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission of1icials devoted most
Of the calendar year 1888. In 1885,
he said, the Commissioners asked the
commission to consider the traffic
problem at all circles in detail and in
1885 the House District Committee
called upon the Commissioners TO re-
port upon plan for relieving traffic
congestion and improving safety at
Thomas, Scott and Dupont Circles
and to present estimates. The request
was made mandatory when Congress
provided funds for the necessary study
Last October, District officials pre-
scented to the Co-ordinating Commit
tee Of the Park and Planning Commits
sion several plans and were directed to
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