Evening star., 1952-10-24
Franklin Square
Parking Project
SfudyDirected
Planners to Get
Dutu on | ,600-Cur
Underground Garage

1Ile NdC1Ondl CdplCal framing
Commission today ordered further
study on a proposal to approve
construction of a 1.600-car three
story parking area underneath
Franklin Park, Thirteenth and K
streets NV.
The action was taken during a
final session of the commissions
monthly two-day meeting.
Later today, the commission
was to attempt to reach final
decision on plans to redevelop
Southwest Washington. Yesterday,
the planners set up a special
committee to review four reports
dealing with the future location
of highways and Potomac River
bridges.
The underground parking prof.
ect, indorsed by the District
Motor Vehicles Parking Agency.
was sent to a co-ordinating COM
mittee made up of representatives
of both Federal and District op-
Grating agencies.
Would Use Private Capital.
The underground garage. which
would be built by private capital,
would have entrances on Thir-
teenth and I streets and exists on
Fourteenth and K streets. the
boundaries of the park.
The project would require re-
moval of all trees and shrubs IN
the square.
After completion, officials said,
the top of the garage would be re-
Handicapped. From K street it would
have the appearance of level
park, but from street it would
appear to be two-story building.
The reason is that the park slopes
sharply from K to I streets.
The District motor vehicle group
sent the proposal to the National
Park Service. which has juriSdic-
tion over the Federally- owned
park square. The commission ex-
poets an expression on the pro-
posal from the District Commits
Sioners soon.
Select Traffic Group.
The planners named yesterday
to serve on the special highway
and bridge committee are:
Conrad L. Wirth, director of
the National Park Service;
Thomas H. Macdonald, commits
sioner of Public Roads; w. E.
Reynolds. commissioner of public
buildings, and Brig. Gen. Bernard
L. Robinson, engineer commits
sioner.
The committee is scheduled to
report back to the planning COM
mission at the December II and
II meetings with definite recon-
mendations.
Four Reports Offered.
Before the body for considera-
tion are four reports on highways
and bridges.
One is an engineering study
prepared for the planning COM
mission which recommends against
building new bridge across the
Potomac River at E street. It sug-
gests plan involving new bridges
instead at Nebraska avenue and
to Alexandria.
Another is report prepared for
the District commissioners. This
report urges construction of the E
street bridge as of first priority.
1t also recommends bridges at Ne
braska avenue and to Alexandria,
either at Shepherds Landing or
Jones Point.
Tunnel Suggested.
The third report was prepared
for the National Capital Parks Of
flee and deals with highway plans
involving park lands as well as
bridges. This report also opposes
construction of a bridge at E street
and suggests instead a tunnel or q
parallel span at Key Bridge.
The fourth report will be one
prepared for the planning COM
mission by Harland Bartholomew
& Associates. engineering firm
from st. Louis.
This report has not been made
public yet. It is an analysis of
the comprehensive highway plan
for the District which the District
Commissioners released last year.
It disagrees in part with the Com
missioners plan but repeatedly is
substantially in agreement.
From all of this, the special
committee is expected to come up
with definite recommendations so
the planning commission can
adopt it's own highway plan and
its own version of where the new
bridge will be located.