Evening star., 1948-10-20
Road
Progress Told
ToKeystoneCIub
Will Extend Across
District Shortly,
Robertson Says

The Whitehurst Freeway will ex-
tend across the District in the near
future, j. N. Robertson, new di-
rector Of highways told the Advisory
Committee of the Keystone Auto
mobile Club at its first board meet.
ing Of the season at the Shoreham
Hotel last night.
The present highway from
Twenty-seventh street to Key Bridge
Is now 76 per cent completed and it
Is hoped that 1t can be finished by
next March /, he said. The second
phase Of the project will be a high
and low level roadway from Twenty
first street NV. to Twenty-seventh
street with tunnel under Washing
Nton Circle. This work Is expected
to be started in year, Mr.. Robert
son told the board.
This will be followed by work on
q surface roadway from Connecti-
cut avenue and K street to Twenty
first street connecting with the other
two projects, he said, adding that
the remainder of the freeway to
the District line will be worked out
later.
Completion in November, 194S.
The new Highway Bridge will bs
completed in November, 1949, after
which the old Highway Bridge will
be used for time before being re-
placed with q new structure, MIR.
Robertson said.
The South Capitol Street Bridge
also will be completed in 1949, he
told the beard. The American Steel
Co. will begin erecting steel for
the superstructure about December
us.
The Dupont Circle underpass Is
now 26 per cent completed and will
be finished on schedule In March,
1850.
Plans for an underpass at Capitol
fHill also are in the making, he said,
but 1t will be some time before it
Is completed. ~
The much discussed Arizona
avenue project will be started soon
and the work Of filing the ground
from Canal road to Wisconsin av-
er1ue for the beginning of the work
will start soon, he said.
The greatest problem in the
Highway Department, he saio, was
the resignation of employees for
higher pay in Federal Government
jobs and private enterprises. Mr..
Robertson said he hoped salaries
could be raised, but he said that IL
they are, 1t is going to handicap
his department for want of sufficient
funds to continue highway work.
Disagree on Proposal. I
The board could not agree on thu
proposal to have one full-time NUM-
cipal court Judge devote his tina
exclusively to traffic cases. Reporto
indorsing the plan were heard from
lcitizens' associations and civic clubs.
but the judges of both District Court
and Municipal Court were opposed
to It. After some discussion the
matter was referred back to COM
mittee.
| c. Melvin Sharpe was authorized
to name a committee to study the
use OF special insignia that can be
seen in the dark, for policemen
on traffic duty. He also was au-
thorized to appoint a committee to
study the proposal of the Capital
Transit Co. to reroute some tracks.
Ernest r. Brett, manager of the
Washington Keystone Club and Sec
retary Of the Advisory Board, told
the committee Of the new traffio
regulations and said a COMMITTEES
should appear before the Commits
sioners when the new regulations
are considered in January.
Maj. Gen. David T. McCoach.
former District Engineer Commis-
sioner, was appointed chairman Of
committee to study the new reg.
ulations. Serving with will be DR..
H. G. Dickinson, Randall Cation,
Edward G. Baltz, w. S. Canning
and Mr.. Brett.