Evening star., 1944-08-03
Central Area
Trolley Tunnel
Plans Surveyed
Transport Report
Due to Be Issued
Lote in Autumn
D BAINBRIDGE CRIsT.

/
~ BAINDRIDGE CRIsT.
Late this fall residents Of wash.
ington viii get picture OF trans
portation facilities In the central
area Of the city after the war.
FOR several months now . joint
survey by the Public Roads Ad-
ministration, the District Highway
Department and the once Of the
Vehicles and Trafic, tn co-opera-
ton with other groups, has been
under way on general transporta-
ton problems, primarily in the CEN
trAl area.
The survey may lead to the even.
tual construction Of street-car tun-
nels. but 1t Is not believed that it
viii recommend subways. Accord.
ing to the definitions of Can't. n. C.
Whitehurst, director Of highways.
tunnels are for street cars and SUBJ
ways are for q rapid transit system,
Is In New York City.
Continuation Of Study.
Actually, the present study is a
continuation Of the Preliminary
Report on Highway, Parking and
Related Trafic Problems" of lo4l.
made by the same ofIicial agencies.
Little was done ABOUT the central
area In that study.
In the past" explained Capt.
Whitehurst, there have been a
number Of trafiic, transit and other
surveys. In 4 majority of cases
they reached no conclusions until
the 1o4l report-they were lust data
on trafac. which got out of date
pretty fast. No one ever attempted
TO put the whole transportation
problem together.
This survey Is intended to link
them all together and to draw spe.
ciflc conclusions and recommends.
tions with the objective of improy.
ing trafnc and transportation con.
ditions."
Not only Is the survey concerned
with transit problems. but the report
WIN deal with terminal facilities in
the broadest sense-in other words.
Capt. Whitehurst said, 1t will in.
ciuoe . further parking study.
Consult With Others.
During the course of the survey
the Highway Department Vehicles
and Trafic Once and PRA has
been In consultation with the Capital
Transit Co., the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission, the
Public Buildings Administration and
Public Utilities Commission. At tho
outset Of the study JOINT meetings
OF their groups were held to outline
the survey.
The Highway Department also
has engaged j. e. Greiner Co.
consulting engineers of Baltimore
who have associated with. them
DeLuew Gathers q Co. OF Chicago.
transit engineers. It was j. T.. Grei.
ner Co. which In June of 1913 sub.
mitted . report to the Commission.
ers on the K street trunk highway
improvements.
The District is using consultants
more than ever before, according to
Capt. Whitehurst, because of the
shortage of men and because spe.
cialists see problems from q new
light"
Instructed by Kutx.
IF we live with things too much
We become blind to them" Capt.
Whitehurst said.
In instructions to the consul.
tants, Engineer Commissioner
Charles w. Kutz told them that the
survey would include, but not be
limited to-" q complete analysis Of
AL forms Of transportation and
transportation facilities within the
central area.
The engineering report, as q re.
suit OF the survey, will include you-
conclusions with recommendation
Tor highway improvements. changes
and additions to the mass transpor-
tation system-vehicular and street
car tunnels, andjor underpasses.
depressed highways. grade separa-
tlons, terminal facilities for both
mass transportation and other We.
hicles."
Use lS41 Figures.
The survey is being made on the
basis OF l94l traffic figures rather
than on present-day figures, which
Capt. Whitehurst considers "abnor-
maj. For the purposes of the
study. the central area Is bounded
on the south by Constitution ave.
nue.. on the west by Twenty-first
street, on the north by M street and
on the east by Second street. ali
within the Northwest section of the
city. Capt. Whitehurst hopes to
release the report as soon as It Ia
received so that publicity will result
In discussion and comment.
The 194l report included a plan
Tor trunk highway developments
grade separations, the X street de.
veiopment, bridges and thorotleh.
rare improvements. The 1913 Grei.
ner report on K street called for
such underground work as : d..
pressed Interchange of streets At
Mount Vernon Square, a four.la lana
depressed highway in the bed Of K
street between Mount Vernon
square and Sixth street NE, left
turn underpass for Florida avenue
ramc entering K street and an
underpass to connect Bennins road
with Florida avenue and H street.
located under Fifteenth and II
streets NE.
Alexandra Youth Alters