Evening star., 1950-08-20
Work Foxho Road May Lead to Widening Of Entire Route
By Harriet Grifiths

ne WldcLllls VI COAIxdll TOdQ
between Reservoir road and
Whitehaven parkway may bring
closer the prospects for similar
work along the entire road, high
way officials said yesterday.
Since the opening of the White
hurst Freeway last October, Fox
hall road has become a more i'm
portant thoroughfare. The High
way Department estimates that
traffic has increased about rs
per cent there.
Completion of the work now
under way will present the Dis
trict an unusual thoroughfare hav-
ing a narrow section between two
wide stretches on the ends.
More than 19 years ago, the
District instituted condemnation
proceedings to acquire land for
widening the entire road from
Reservoir road to Nebraska ave-
nue.. but strong opposition arose.
After two years in the courts, the
proceedings finally were dropped.
Might Take Years.
s. r. Harrison, deputy director
Of highways, said he felt widen
ing of the narrow. poorly graded
and curving road which feeds into
Nebraska avenue and Massachu-
setts avenue was important.
He said it probably would be
several years before it could be
undertaken. but that widening of
the portion between Reservoir
road and the Whitehaven parkway
may be sufficiently impressive to
dissipate some of the former op-
position.
Widening. grading and repaving
of that section began August /.
The road is being widened from
% to A feet. The work is sched-
uled to take 100 calendar days,
but Mr.. Harrison said it may be
finished sooner.
The stretch of Foxhall road
from Cathedral to Nebraska ave-
nues already is about SO feet wide,
but the section in the middle is
only about % feet wide.
Funds Limited.
The whole job was not under
taken at this time because there
was not enough money available,
Mr.. Harrison said. The section
now being improved, however, was
considered logical place to start.
Condemnation awards totaling
$50, ,745.54 were approved for land
acquisitions to permit this work.
OF this sum, the actual cost to the
District is $48,548.1S, since benefit
assessments totaling $5,I97 .38 were
to be levied against adjoining and
nearby property holders.
Foxhall should be widened be-
fore Arizona avenue freeway is
constructed, highway officials be-
lieve. Also on the eventual high
way plan for the area Is an ex-
tension of Whitehaven parkway
across Foxhall.
Foxhall road is not envisioned
rs a fast expressway, highway
said. but it is considered
a good service facility. potentially
more useful than it is now.
Thirteenth Street to be Closed.
Meanwhile. it is expected that
part of Thirteenth street within
the next two weeks will be closed
to traffic during the middle of the
day for widening operations there.
The street is being widened from
Logan Circle to U street, from 81
to A feet, and is being cut through
the circle in parenthesis fashion1.
around the center monument. I,
Benning road also is scheduled
for some surface improvement,
though no change in width, be-
tween Hanna place and Southern
avenue. The work will extend
down Southern avenue to Bowen
road under this paving contract.
The Highway Department is !
ready for bids on the bridge over
Watts Branch in line of Division |
avenue NE, and hopes to ad-
vertise. within the next three
weeks for the Kansas avenue
underpass.
A paving contract already has
been let for improvement of /
Kansas avenue in the area of |
the proposed underpassing of the
B. 81 o. Railroad tracks. This
project is expected to cost ap-