Evening star., 1945-02-24
Planners Propose
Street Bus Route
For District Study

The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission, which now
admits to being open minded" on
the issue of a subway system for
Washington, is preparing number
of notifications and suggestions for
possible inclusion in the compre-
hensive transportation survey now
under study.
One suggestion, it was disclosed
last night, is for crosstown bus
route, via E street NV, to connect
the two great downtown centers
of Federal employment in the So
called Northwest rectangle west of
seventeenth street and the Penn
sylvania avenue triangle Director
Of Planning, John Nolen, jr., said it
was one of several suggestions the
commission has made to District
officials for inclusion in any trans
portation survey.
AS to the proposed subway itself,
the Planning Commission devoted
considerable time to it's discussion
during the monthly planning ses-
SIGN, but officials stressed that it
has taken no definite position. They
said, however, that they had open
minds on the subject and indicated
a relaxation in former complete
opposition.
Would Cut Congestion.
The proposed E street route. it
was said, would be helpful in taking
the load off the Potomac Park street
car loop and would reduce passenger
congestion at two important trans
fer points. These are at Fifteenth
and G streets, and at Treasury,
Fifteenth street and New York ave-
nue..
For years the Planning Commits
SION has had such a route under
consideration. 1t was estimated
more than $4,000 Federal employees
work in Northwest rectangle build
in4s, and this area is to be the site, |
also, of the new Navy Department |
building.
Some of the bus route could be
underground, it was suggested. The
Planning Commission did not give
details of any other SUGGESTIONS it is
preparing for Director of Highways
H. C. WhitehurSt and Charles E. De
Leuw, co-author of the subway plan
At Earlier conferences, Mr.. Nolen
explained. the suggestions had been
received "sympathetically' and now
will be submitted formally.
Capt. Whitehurst yesterday out
lihsd to the commission revised .
plans for major thoroughfare i'm
provements in the District as part .
of tne proposed postwar plan. In
cluded in these new schedules, it was
said, were a number of projects and
park land improvements in which
the Planning Commission has long .
been interested.
Only a few examples" were ex-
planned, such as the proposed ex-
tension of Taylor street, the paving |
of Mount Olivet road and crossing
of the terminal yards to Bladens-
burg. Improvements in the Fort
drive across Rock Creek Park are
also under consideration.
Parkway Progress Reported.
Every satisfactory progress" is
being made in acquiring the right
of-Way for the Westinghouse -Balti-
more Parkway, Com m sioner
Thomas H Macdonald of the Pub
lie Roads Administration, reported.
The entire route between the two
cities has been surveyed and will be
under Government ownership by the .
end of the war, it was believed.
The route from Fort George G.
Meade to Baltimore will be acquired
and built by Maryland, and is now |
under detailed engineering plan
ming. H. j. Spelman, District engi-
neer for the Public Roads Admins |
tration, made a progress report on |
the right-o between Washing |
ton and Fort Meade. Two pieces of |
privately owned land from the Dis
trict line to Greenbelt are involved
in condemnation proceedings, he
reported. ALI Governmental agen- |
cies controlling rights of way through |
Greenbelt, Beltsville and Fort Meade
are In agreement"
Before adjournment, the commits
sion approved applications for the
establishment of four automobile |
repair shops, provided no outwoor
work is permitted on the premises.
The proposed locations are at SO G
street NV; 207 Carroll street NV;
Arkansas avenue and Allison street
NV. and Sherman avenue and
Barry place, near the Washington
baseball park