Evening star., 1941-08-02
Major Traffic
Street Network
Proposed
DeIuno Submits
Idea to Planning
Body for Study

The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission is considering
a scheme designed by its chairman,
Frederic A. Delano, to facilitate the
movement of Washington traffic by
making roughly every fourth street
in the downtown area a Six-lane
major thoroughfare.
Presented 70 members yesterday
for consideration and report at
the commissions September meet
ing, the plan involves that portion
of the city lying between U street
and Florida avenue and the Poto-
mac River, Rock Greek Park and
the Anacostia River.
Basically, Mr.. Delano's idea is to
make one north-and-south street
and one east-and-west street in
every three streets major
thoroughfare. These main streets
would be crossed by traffic only at
every third block, but right hand
turns on or off them would be per-
mitted at intermediate blocks.
Parking on Minor Streets.
The plan also calls for simplified
signal system and Glover leafs" at
each major intersection.
No parking would be permitted
on the principal avenues, motorists
desiring to park for shopping, ETC.,
being required to proceed to the
nearest intersecting minor street.
Mr.. Delano suggests minimum of
restrictions" on parking where al
lowed.
In a prepared explanation, he
pointed out that the chief traffic
of the city would be handled on one
third of the streets; the other two
thirds would serve different pur-
pose, retaining the parking privileges
and other convenient uses"
Sees Idea as Workable.
Admitting that the city's diagonal
streets would add to the comph-
cations" Mr.. Delano states, how
ever, that his study of the matter
leads him to believe it can be worked
out.
Il do not claim for this system
that it also solves the question of
downtown parking or off-street
parking" he said, adding that it
will do a good deal toward facili-
tating movement on our street
system"
Mr. Delano also informed the
commission yesterday that he had
ro,oforroJ xr,itI, of1oioIc of tho pal
timore & Ohio Railroad with the
hope of persuading them to start
a streetcar service encircling the
city for persons wishing to avoid
downtown traffic. He pursued the
idea, he said, after learning that
the railroad would have to add
only a small amount of track to
existing routes and spurs to COM
plete encirclement of the District.
Approves Plans for Alexandria.
Before ending its July-August
meeting, the commission approved
a plan submitted by the United
States Engineers Office for the
Identification of = the Alexandria
water front. 1t proposes pushing
out the bulkhead line as far as
the existing pier line so as to create
a solid water front. Along this
front, and extending from the traf-
fic circle on the Mount Vernon high
way to Hunting Greek on the other
side of the city, drive similar to
the Pulaski Skywav would be built.
Staff members were directed to
work out a means of beautifying
the Virginia side of Boundary
Channel between Highway Bridge
and Lee boulevard as part of the
George Washington Memorial Park
way. The plan will be submitted
to the War Department. which
controls the land in question.
Refusing to sanction use of site
adjacent to Homeopathic Hospital
for the proposed Northwest Health
Center, the commission directed the
District Real Estate Committee to
endeavor to obtain the use of any
one of three approved sites in the
vicinity of New Jersey avenue and
o street.
Approval was given the design
of a stone bridge to be erected over
Sligo Creek near Sligo, Md.