Evening star., 1939-11-02
Officials Inspect N
Street Projects
On 20-MiIe Tour
More Than so Tuke
Trip in Chartered Bus
With Police Escort

Trip in Chartered Bus
With Police Escort
Modern trends In highway engi-
neering and street development were
inspected yesterday by Board Of
Trade members and District ofiicials.
More than go city officials and board
members inspected 10 city street
improvement projects on a 3-hour,
20-mile tour by chartered bus with
. police escort.
A number of new projects for
trafnc control were viewed, along
with jobs under construction or Just
completed. Capt. Henry C. White
hurst, District highway director,
pointed out the projected traffic
control being devised for Union Sta
ton Plaza.
This project, still in the formative
stage, will provide for a series of
pedestrian islands on the station
plaza, with lights to control traffic
on all approaches, according to Capt.
WhitehurSt.
Among the outstanding develop
ments viewed for better and safer
Washington transportation was the
overpass at Taylor street NE. A
special stop was made so the group
could get closeup of the work
being done and learn OF the dangers
being eliminated. The Public Roads
Administration allotted $780, 900 for
the construction of this overpass,
which is now IS per cent complete.
Modified Clover Leaf Approach.
The project, located in line of
Taylor street NE, between Seventh
street and Harewood road, will have
a modified clover leaf approach. It
Is expected to be open to traffic early
next year and will close the last Of
the grade crossings over main rail-
road lines into the District. With
the completion of this overpass
Hawaii avenue will be put through,
1t was pointed out. The right of
way now is being acquired, it was
said.
The Fourteenth street and Massa-
chusetts avenue underpass was an
other project which received partic-
ular attention. 1t is expected to be
open shortly after the first of the
year. Capt. Whitehurst told of sew
eral incidents which resulted from
the new cross-trafflc project. He
said number of residents along
Massachusetts, avenue came to Dis
trict officials expressing their satis-
faction with the work. Four, he
said, thanked the city for decidedly
improving their property" In con-
nection with the underpass work, the
streets were improved and the lawns
reconditioned. he pointed out.
The final stop for direct inspection
was made at the K street overpass,
where the tour guides pointed out
what was to be done Immediately
and what was projected. It is hoped,
after the present system is installed,
to have K street developed so it
will be feeder to Key Bridge and
further along connection into
Canal road and Foxhall road.
Opened within the week, the
widened Seventeenth street section
from K street north to Rhode Island
avenue received favorable comment
from board members, who have long
advocated a wider thoroughfare
Shortly, this expanded street Is ex-
pected to be widened to Massachu-
sets avenue. Rhode Island avenue
and Massachusetts, avenue, 1t was
stated, drain most of the northward
trafnc OF Seventeenth street In eve
nings and provide most of its traffic
IN the mornings. The widening to
Massachusetts, avenue should solve
one of the most acute downtown
traffic problems the city has, it was
claimed.
Caravan Encounters Jam.
The tour included Southeast and
Southwest street improvements, the
new multi-laned Pennsylvania Ave-
nue Bridge, the Langston terrace
vicinity, streets around Soldiers
Home and the uptown railroad
main line near Blair road, New
Hampshire avenue, and other
through streets to the suburbs.
The escorted caravan was halted
once at Eighteenth and Rhode Island
avenue NV. when it ran into q
jam caused by fire. The through
traffic tour gave way to the fire
apparatus.
Engineer Commissioner David
McCoach, jr., during the tour praised
the efficiency with which the city is
going ahead with its street modern
ization. He particularly pointed out
that little, If any, park and street.
side beauty has been sacrificed for
speedier traffic. He noted that as
the city spreads, more space is being
devoted to recreational areas and
park sites.
Others making the trip were Capt.
Patrick H. Tansey and Capt. John
L. Pearson, Assistant Engineer Com
missioners; L. P. Robertson and H. F.
Clemmer, Highway Department, and
F. w. Lovejoy and c. E. Swain,
Public Roads Administration.
Board officials included Lawrence
E. Williams, president; Fred A.
Smith, ~ charge of committees;
George Pitt, committees chairman;
William H. Press, assistant to the
executive secretary, and E. C..
Graham, director. For the Com
mittee on Bridges, Streets and
Avenues were George " Graham,