Evening star., 1950-08-06
Heavy Use Of Bridges
To Force Revision Of
District Traffic Plans
OfficioIs Study Needs
For Better Approaches
AS Loud Increases
By William A. MiIIen

Increased traf1c on WaShlng-
tons new bridges. now reaching
figures not expected for years to
come, is leading the District Gov
ernment to revise its long-range
major program.
J. N. Robertson, District High
way Director, and Douglas S.
Brinkley, planning engineer. sum-
marizes the Highway Depart
ment's present thinking to en-
large traffic facilities:
l. Better approaches for the
rapidly-increasing loads on the
new highway bridge by lowering
Fourteenth street, southwark
from near Constitution avenue.
This will permit construction of
overhead roadways across the
movement to and from the high
way bridge, increasing its traffic
capacity. Competing cross traf-
fic would be eliminated under this
program. The new Virginia ap-
proaches are considered salts
factory. Several plans are under
study-none official yet.
2. A brand new bridge to re-
place the existing old highway
bridge, now used for southbound
traffic. The old structure is being
thoroughly checked by the engi-
neers, both above and below water.
Indications are the existing bridge
will be good for at least eight or
10 years more.
Widening Involved.
3. An underpass at Washington
Circle and widening K street NV.
in that region to speed the flow
of traffic on the new Whitehurst
Freeway. And Virginia authorities
are planning to improve the Ross
lyn Plaza that drains traffic both
from the Freeway and Key Bridge.
4. The new Arizona avenue
freeway up Foundry Branch val
ley, an expressway from Canal
road to Tenley Circle. This will
feed traffic to and from the
Whitehurst Freeway.
5. Making South Capitol street
underpass at M street to speed
traffic over the new structure
spanning the Anacostia River,
which is carrying increasing loads.
s. A new bridge across the
Potomac River here. The loca-
ton has not yet been determined,
but possibly it will be upstream
from the Arlington Memorial
Bridge.
7. Another crossing of the Po-
tomac River by a new bridge at
Alexandria. from near Blue Plains
In the District. This is now in the
discussion stage, but "the need
for it is increasing as the days
go by"
8. New traffic connections with
the Washington Baltimore Park
way with New York avenue ex-
tended and a new span across
the Pennsylvania Railroad in that
area. The District Government
plans to spend more than 81 mil /
lion as its portion of the connect |
ing link within the District. The
Bureau of Public Roads, Com
merce Department and the NUM-
cipality will cooperate in this. A
new crossing of the Anacostia
River at the District Line, to be
built by the Federal Government, !
is part of the plan.
8. The new East Capitol street
bridge, with the improvement of
the approaches at independence
and Constitution avenues on the
west shore and East Capitol street
and Kenilworth avenue on the
east shore.
Exceeds Jersey Traffic.
Mr.. Brinkley declared the VOL
ume of traffic crossing the Po-
tomac River in and out of Wash
ington each work day is from 20
to rs per cent more than that
crossing between New Jersey and
New York City across the Hudson
River. He declared each day in
both directions a total of 182,3O0|
vehicles are carried over the high
way, Memorial and Key Bridge.
In addition, he said, there are be-
tween 1000 and 5000 carried over
Chain Bridge.
At 10 key traffic check points in
the District, a count showed a
total daily increase of 1912 per
cent between June 1949 and June
of this year, Mr.. Brinkley said.
Between June 1941 and the past
June, the traffic increase has been
4112 per cent, indicating a grow
ing trend throughout the whole
city. This jump was nearly half
as much again as the pre-war
peak.
The new Highway Bridge is now
carrying the load the engineers
expected in the year 1953-54. The
engineers say this may level off
shortly, however. Now carrying
around 10000 daily, it could take
10000 more cars daily in non-rush
hours particularly.
People are driving more miles
than they used to, Mr.. Brinkley
said. One reason may be that the
mass transit by the public utilities
companies is not attractive enough,
so people are using their own cars
for transportation, he said. There
are now also more cars per capita,
adding to traffic loads, he ex-
planned. During the war, due to
gasoline rationing and inability
to get new cars, the traffic figures
were down.
High Operating Percentage.
Mr.. Brinkley pointed out that
the Highway Bridge is on U. S.
Route No. l and it thus carries
a higher load for non-rush hours
and operates at higher percent
age for "a hours.
There is a high volume of truck
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