Evening star., 1947-04-18
Dupont Subway
Under Attack at
Capitol Hearing
Critics Declare Cost
Is Too High; Others
Defend Project

Defend Project
The Dupont Circle underpass was
attacked and defended today at the
opening Of a joint House-Senate
hearing on the project.
Eleven witnesses criticized the
project as too costly and as detri-
mental to business and residential
interests.
Highway Director H. c. White
hurst declared the plans have been
approved by all official agencies
concerned and by unbiased expert
engineers from outside the District.
Spokesman for businessmen s
groups, citizens association and tax
payers told the joint committee
that the cost, now estimated at about
$1,000 900, was too high for the Dis
trict now since the city already fac .
q financial deficit.
Money Is on Hand.
Capt. Whitehurst explained the
project is financed jointly by Fed
eral aid and by the District govern
ment on a $3.50 basis. Money is on
hand for the job, he said, and no
requests for appropriations are now
before Congress.
Preliminary work now under way
at the circle and in Its vicinity, Capt.
Whitehurst said, consists mostly of
changes in the sewer system by the
District and alterations in under
ground facilities Of public utilities.
Objection to the measure ranged
all the way from proposals for OBJ
liberation of the circle itself to
changing the underpass from the
line of Connecticut avenue to the
line of Massachusetts avenue.
Several witnesses recommended
the circle be reduced in size, and the
streetcar tracks routed around both
the east and west part of the circle.
Both tracks now 60 around the west
part of the circle.
The large hearing room Of the
House District Committee was
crowded with people who frequently
applauded. Many stood throughout
the hearing.
Damage Suits Indicated.
The presiding officials were Rep
resentative Beall, Republican, of
Maryland. and Senator McGrath,
Democrat, of Rhode Island, chair
men, respectively, of the Public
Service Subcommittee of the House
and Senate District Committees.
Damage suits will be filed against
the District by property owners in
the area because of damage done to
buildings by underground blasting,
testimony indicated.
Frank G. Waldrop, representing
Mrs. Eleanor Patterson, owner of
the Times Herald, told the commit
tee that Mrs. Patterson's home on
Dupont Circle already had been sub
jected to cracking Of the walls. He
said a diary was being kept Of this
damage, that engineers were pre-
pairing a scientific survey Of the
house and that she expected to file
damage suits against the District.
The blasting is taking place on the
opposite side of the circle from her
home, Mr.. Waldrop testified.
Blow to Shopping Area Seen.
Replying to a previous witness
statement that the streetcars ran
around the wrong side of the circle
because of the influence of a
wealthy connection" living on the
circle, Mr.. Waldrop told the COM
mittee that official records show the
streetcars we're so routed in 1868
before the Patterson home was built.
He said the residence cost more
tnan $1.000,000
Horace J. Meyers, chairman Of
the Board of Governors of the Con-
necticut Avenue Association. charged
that the project would create IAN
excessive tax burden on the tax
payers" and that the downtown
Connecticut avenue shopping area
would suffer greatly" He con-
tended that the underpass would
create more bottlenecks.
Others opposing the underpass
included Frederick A. Hunneweil of
the Transportation Committee Citi-
zens' Council for Community Plan
ming: Morris r. Clark, Washington
Taxpayers Association; A. II.
Saturn, 1923 Connecticut avenue
NV; j. M. Heiser, president OF the
Federation of Business Men; George
Papanicolas, attorney; Capt. A. j.
Gore, real estate dealer; Miss Mar
garet Delano Gage of Du Pont
circle, and Edward L. Merzereau,
president of North Randall Com
munity Citizens Association.
William B. Bennett, vice president
Of the Capital Transit Co., pledged
the company would cooperate to
the fullest extent in whatever plan
was finally fixed for the circle. But
he hoped that if the plan is changed
or interrupted it could be done
4 : I4f~