Evening star., 1946-03-21
Railroads Asked
1oStudy District
'Conlnuter Plan
Request Included
In Program to Meet
Growth of Area
BY Rudolph Kouffmonn |

railroads serving Washington
haVe been asked to study theil
possible expansion in the Wash.
lngton area to serve local trans.
portation needs. it was revealed
today by the National Capita,
aark and Planning Commission
as 1t started its March meeting.
The commission, according tc
John Nolen, jr, its director of plan
ming, has asked the railroads tc
reconsider the whole question of 10.
cal service to Washington. In the
past, proposals to have commutel
service have been turned down by
the railroads on the ground such
service could only be run at a loss
Now, Mr.. Nolen said, the rail-
roads "are becoming increasingly
conscious" of the growth of WASH
lngton and have offered to cooper
ate with the commission in every
way to see If improvements in serv-
Ice could be made.
Tied in With Traffic.
3. MIR. Nolen declined to reveal any
specific projects which expansion
would bring about. He did say the
study would be tied in with road
and street railway studies now being
made by the commission, the Dis
trlct government, transit companies
and professional and civic groups in
the area. It would attempt to an
ticipate coming changes, highway
and bridge problems, and the like,
he added.
An example of a commuter study
which likely would come under
scrutiny, he said, would be the pos
slolllty of developing Southwest
washington and Pentagon stops for
trains. Another proposal, one which
mas been made in past years, would
be to develop the Georgetown
branch of the Baltimore g. Ohio
Railroad for committing purposes, as
well as Washington's main line to
the West, which runs through Rock
vile, Kensington and Silver Spring
A number of important items
were scheduled to be taken up at
the meeting, which will continue
through today and tomorrow.
Tourist Camp on Agenda.
Near the top of the list was the
controversial question of locating a
new tourist camp in East Potomac
Park. Its location there has been
advocated by the National Park
Service and Government Services,
Inc. which operates the present
camp in East Potomac Park, and
has been opposed by the District
Recreation Board and the District
Commissioners.
The planning commission post
poned consideration of the tourist
camp question at it's February
meeting at the request of District
Engineer Commissioner Gordon r.
Young, member ex-ofhcio, of the
planning group, so that he could be
in on the proceedings. A 4
A controversy is now in progress
on Capitol Hill to block a 5000 900
item in the Interior Department
appropriation bill, providing for
construction Of new camp in East
Potomac Park.
Other questions to come before
the commission today included:
!. Plans for adding southern
extension to the terminal building
at National Airport and the ques-
tion of how best to locate ap-
proaches to viaduct to carry air.
port entrance roads over the nearby
railroad tracks.
Fourth Street Involved.
2. Land transfers between the
District and Howard University
necessary to permit the District
Highway Department to streamline
Fourth street NV. where it inter-
sects the university campus.
3. Latest plans for eliminating
Barney circle traffic bottleneck in
Southeast Washington. The plan,
according to Highway Director II. c.
Whitehurst, now calls for abolish
ing the circle, putting streetcars|
underground and creating a bus
transfer point on the surface nearby.
T.. proposal of the District
Highway Department to streamline
the intersection of PENNSYLVANIA
and Minnesota avenues Sc. The
plan has been approved by the COM
missions Executive Committee.
Tomorrow the commission will
consider Public Buildings Admin
istration plans for future buildings
in Washington and will review ac-
ton OF the District zoning Commits
sion creating commercial shopping
area at Michigan avenue and the
District line.
Also in the agenda is a proposal
to locate some of the 600 temporary
homes for District veterans, which
the Federal Public Housing Au-
thority has offered to build on park
land.