Evening star., 1947-12-21
Hayden Bi||Asks
Developing Of
AriizonaAvenue
Four-Lune Freewuy
Would Be Built
From Canal Road
By Harold B. Rooers

By Harold B. Rogers
Arizona avenue NV, now only a
paper street" on the map, would
be developed into a four-lane di-
vided highway from Canal road te
Tenley Circle under a bill intro
duced in the Senate by Senator
Hayden, Democrat, of Arizona.
The measure, referred to the
Senate District Committee, trans.
fers from downtown Washington
to Capitol Hill a long pending con-
troversey.
The Senator has espoused the
cause Of the District Commissioners
for such a major freeway to carry
traffic from downtown to the North
west residential section.
The project is opposed informally
by some officials Of the National
Park Service and of the National
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission. They contend the park
lands through which the roadway
would run, along Foundry Branch
through Glover Archbold Park
should be kept for park purposes
only. There are known to be some
differences of opinion, however
among park officials themselves
over the project.
Bill Calls for Plans.
The Hayden bill directs the Dis
trict Commissioners to prepare
plans and to construct the four
lane divided highway over route
realigned somewhat from the orig
inal Arizona avenue. 1t would have
suitable grade separations and
interchanges at appropriate loca-
tions along Foundry Branch, fol-
lowing in general the line of Arizona
avenue" 1t would be renamed
"the Arizona Freeway"
The Commissioners would include
the cost of construction or such por-
ton thereof as is appropriate in the
District appropriation act, charge
able to the Highway Fund"
The bill hints. however, that the
project might be developed as q
Federal-aid highway. Final plans
and specifications prepared by the
Commissioners would be submitted
to the Public Roads Administration
for review and processing. This
would follow the same procedure as
is prescribed for Federal-aid prof.
ects, says the bill" whether the
project is developed as such or as a
wholly District Of Columbia project. "
Hadyen Praises Study.
Senator Hayden in statement
praised the District Department of
highways for it's study which, he
said, clearly demonstrates the i'm
perative necessity for construction
of the Arizona Freeway." This ac-
ton, he said. "is a fine illustration
OF advance thinking in the highway
planning field. while there is still
time for corrections in the difficult
traffic situation"
The new freeway Senator Hayden
pointed out will not only be a
credit to the name of my State, but
will materially reduce the hazards to
life on other routes of travel to and
from the business and governmental
sections of downtown Washington
." All of the intervening east
and west streets and avenues can be
underpassed, with interchanges Of
traffic at appropriate locations. "His
State" he said. had waited long
enough" to have a real street bear
ing its name.
Captain H. C. Whitehurst, Di-
rector of Highways, said the new
freeway would be an important link
in the new traffic outlet from down.
town Washington over the elevated
K street roadway in Georgetown
passing under Key Bridge and con.
Meeting with Canal road.
Plans Are Outlined.
The Arizona Freeway would leave
Canal road not far from Key Bridge
and enter Foundry Branch Valley
under the steel bridge which carries
the Capital Transit Co.'S Cabin John
streetcar line. From that point the
new freeway would proceed for q
distance of about 81 miles to the
intersection OF Wisconsin avenue
and Nebraska avenue at Tenley
Circle.
A right of way for almost this
entire distance had been acquired
by the District in 1893, running from
Canal road to Van Ness street NV
Realignment of the project from
the original Arizona avenue right
of way to the new dual-lane freeway
however. has presented problems OF
land transfer, because the new route
runs through parkways for which
title is held by the National Park
Service. Also, according to park off,
cials, there is a strip of park land
Just south Of Reservoir road cutting
entirely across the park and con-
stituting a road block to the new
project.
Problem Is Complicated.
To clear this complicated land
problem, the Hayden bill provides
that Federal agencies transfer to
the District Commissioners land
needed for the new freeway and the
Commissioners transfer to the park
service for recreation purposes land
they hold which is not needed for the
roadway.
The District Commissioners under
the Hayden bill would submit their
preliminary plans for the freeway
to the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission and the Ma
tional Park Service for comments
and suggestions.
The Arizona avenue development
had been listed by the District High
way Department for its program Of
construction in 1850 to 1855. The
Hayden bill, If enacted, would ad-
vance the date of the project.