Evening star., 1946-12-14
Bold Highway PIonning

Ii is q DOlQ ana Iar-TcaculHg ulBu-
way-improvement program which
Engineer Commissioner Young has
presented to the commissioners, but,
as Highway Director Whitehurst
succinctly comments in an accom-
panying analysis. bold planning and
engineering are absolutely essential
If Washington is to avoid the blight
ing effects of steadily increasing
traffic congestion. Captain White
hurst's warning is in line with pre-
dictions made recently before the
Highway Transportation Congress
by Harold S. Buttenheim, editor of
American City Magazine, who de-
cared: Congestion in central city
areas is lowering land values, reduc-
Ing business, causing incalculable
loss OF time and money and en-
>couraging a vast decentralizing
movement of shopping and CONNER
cial areas to places which are easier
to get to, where congestion is not so
acute and where parking facilities
are provided and available"
In no other city has the traffic
problem assumed proportions more
acute than in the Nations Capital
The Greiner-De Leuw engineering
report points out that the war
advanced Washington's population
growth from ten to fifteen years
ahead of schedule-With no COM
parable advance in traffic and
transit improvements. The result
is that some highway projects once
classified as "long range" and sched-
uled for action a decade or so in
the future have now become of
short-range or immediate concern.
Among improvements which have
assumed growing Importance and
which hence are stressed both by
the Highway Department and by
the outside engineering experts are
"expressways," otherwise known as
"freeways," to expedite movement of
traffic around and through the city
at a minimum of disturbance to
business and traffic in the central
district, vertical separation" of
streetcar and automobile traffic
through depressed or subterranean
railway trackage In the heart OF the
: downtown section, additional under
passes at key intersections, outer
and inner belt routes around the
city, off-street bus terminals. offset
bus-loading areas on through streets
and new bridges.
Most of the major undertakings
recommended by the engineering
consultants already are on the Dis
trict's highway program for early
action. Some of the underpasses,
grade separations and bridges al
ready have been started or have
reached the blueprint stage. Ma
terial shortages have seriously in
terfered with construction and are
likely to continue to plague the
planners for some time to come.
Financing of the projects presents
additional difficulties.
The new report is not presented
by It's authors as a quick panacea
for all of Washington's traffic
troubles, but as an up-to-date guide
in postwar efforts to alleviate ills
that have been aggravated by the
unexpected developments of the war
years. The bulk of it's recommended
tions already have received approval
of city and Federal planning Off
cials. The new suggestions and the
revisions in older ones, both in re-
spect to engineering and timing,
deserve the earnest, cooperative
study of all parties at interest. The
fact that these agencies have dared
to tackle the overall problem boldly
and broadly should be encouraging
to every harassed victim of the Dis
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