Evening star., 1949-10-10
Traffic Iieups
Resh-Hour Test
Virginia Avenue jams
Noted at Rock Creek
And Potomac Parkway

Tieups of nearly half an hour
occurred between 8 and am.
today along Virginia avenue in the
vicinity of the Rock Creek and
Potomac Parkway, with the new
Whitehurst Freeway getting its
first full working day test.
Traffic jams occurred along
Virginia avenue from Twenty
seventh to E street and Twenty
first streets NV.
officials anticipate it may be
as long as two weeks before the
public becomes accustomed to the
new system. Meanwhile. the Of
flcials turned to study OF i'm
mediate problems created by the
freeway opening. A traffic count
will be taken and new signs for
motorists will be put up If neces-
sary, officials said.
Inspector Arthur E. Miller Of
the Metropolitan Police traffic
division and George E. Keneipp.
director of vehicles and traffic,
who made a first-hand inspec-
ton of the situation this morn
ing, said traffic flowed smoothly
along K street. An expected jam
at Washington Circle failed to de-
velop. they said.
Loop Road Recommended.
Mr.. Keneipp emphasized these
two points: >
People who are coming down.
town in the morning using the
Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway
and do not want to go as far
south as Virginia avenue should
take the new loop road, up out Of
the valley at Pennsylvania avenue.
They should make a right-hand
turn to the new roadway at that
point. Failure to do this Is causing
part of our traffic trouble, result
ing in congestion on Virginia
avenue.
I'm the afternoon, those on
Virginia avenue who want to get
onto the freeway: Passenger cars
should go under the K street
bridge spanning the valley park
way and Immediately turn right
on the loop road onto the freeway.
Trucks can not use the parkway
and they will have to 60 north on
Twenty sixth street. turning left
to the freeway at the new traf1lc
light at Twenty sixth and &
streets NV"
In the parkway. traffic is south
bound only during rush morning
hours and northbound in rush
evening hours.
To add to this mornings con-
fusion, gravel dump truck
rolled its load onto lower K street
at the east end Of the freeway
when the driver stopped for traffic
and the load shifted. The driver.
Joseph H. Maddox. SO, colored.
was unhurt. but he had to shovel
the gravel back on the truck.
This caused westbound traffic for
lower K street to detour to the
eastbound lane. slowing it up at
that point. A policeman had to
be stationed there to direct trafflc.
There was no interruption OF
freeway traffic.
Traffic Officer Needed.
Mr.. Keneipp said that under no
circumstances will traffic be per-
mitted to travel north on Twenty
seventh street and turn left onto
the freeway.
The traffic officials. including
Wallace L. Braun. deputy director
of vehicles and traffic. attributed
the tieupsat Virginia avenue at
Twenty-seventh street to failure
to place traffic policeman at that
point. Mr.. Keneipp said an ohcer
is necessary there.
/ The officials believe many mo-
torists used the freeway this
morning out of curiosity, and Mr..
Keneipp said it will take a few
days for the public to become
adjusted to the new situation. He
believes it will really be a couple
of weeks before traffic is running
smoothly.
M street in Georgetown expert
enced less traffic than usual dur
ing the morning rush. officials
said. Pvt. Raymond c. Redifer
of the seventh precinct, stationed
at Thirty fourth and M streets
NV, said traffic was running
lighter there. He said officials fear
an afternoon traffic tieup between
4:3O and o'clock, with a bottle
neck at Key Bridge.
He explained traffic pours into
that point from the Army Map
Service personnel on Canal road.
traffic from the Naval Hospital
at Bethesda, which uses Thirty
fourth street in that section; traf-
fic from the Pentagon. coming
from Key Bridge, and traffic from
downtown, using M street.
United states ParK fOilce Sdlu
they experienced no difficulty with
traffic this morning in their Jurls-
diction, including the parkway.
10 Past Jaycee Presidents
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