Evening star., 1953-08-11
Officials Praise
Colorado Ave.
ParkWayLink
Capitol Parks Plan
Fits Into District
Highway Thinking
By GEORGE Beveridae

- SNSsb09S
District highway officials today
praised National Capital Parks
Office plans to extend the Rock
Greek and Potomac parkway as
soon as possible along the east
ern edge of Rock Greek Park to
connect with Colorado avenue.
Brig. Gen. Louis w. Prentiss,
Engineer Commissioner, said the
plan is "a step in the right di-
rection that will be very helpful
when it is finished.
j. N. Robertson. District high
way director. echoed Gen. Prem
tiss' feeling. He said he wanted
to confer with park officials,
however, toward agreement on a
way to get major connection
between the parkway and streets
leading into Rock Creek Park
from the west.
Up to point. the park Off
cials' proposal is in line with
future plans of the highway de-
partment.
Eye on District Line.
Construction of the parkway
from its present terminus near
the Calvert Street Bridge to Col
orado avenue. in fact, also is in
the Districts future plans. From
that point, however, Mr.. Rob-
ertson wants eventually to swing
to the District line.
Park officials indicate they are
not willing to let the parkway go
any further north than Colorado
avenue. They say the amount of
traffic that will be generated
by the extension they propose
will flood the lower end of the
parkway-already crowded with
one-way, rush-hour traffic.
Mr.. Robertson said it might
be possible to give higher priority
to street improvements to handle
increased traffic if the park plan
goes through soon. Such i'm
provements already are planned
for several years in the future.
Bought Strip for Parkway.
The parkway extension to Colo
RADIO avenue also has been on
park plans for a long time. One
park strip south of Colorado ave-
nue. was bought several years ago
by the National Capital Planning
Commission, in fact, for the sole
purpose of providing the park
way route. AS disclosed in The
Star on Sunday, however, the
plans have gained immediate
Importance because:
/. Congress has granted funds
in this years park budget for a
short extension of the parkway
on four-lane bridge over Rock
Creek to connect with Beach
drive near the southern part of
the Zoo.
2. Park officials say they in
tend to seek funds from Congress
next year to complete the extern
sion to Colorado avenue.
Park engineers. it was learned,
have been told to give top prior
ity to land studies for the project
authorized this year.
Officials stressed that details
of the parkway's later extension
from the Zoo to Colorado avenue
have not been worked out.
Would Limit Access.
The present thinking is that
the parkway, hugging hig h
ground along the parks eastern
edge, would not admit traffic at
points between the Zoo and Colo
rado avenue. The chief traffic
benefit would be to permit cars
to swing from Sixteenth street,
east of the park. into Colorado
avenue and onto the parkway.
The Districts part in the pro-
gram will have to evolve in con-
tinuing conferences as such de-
tails are worked out, officials
for both groups said.
Meanwhile. Gen. Prentiss said
he has urged Conrad L. Wirth,
parks service director, to have
staff experts of both their groups
get together to iron out differ
ences over all District highway
plans involving federally owned
land.
On the Rock Creek and Po-
tomac parkway extension to
Colorado avenue. Gen. PrentiSs
said he feels the park officials
have the same reason we have
for wanting to extend ito get
people from Northwest Washing
ton into downtown Washington"
But the general emphasized he
thinks the parkway should ex-
. tend all the way to Maryland.
He said traffic studies show most
people who would use the park
way as it approaches Washing
ton would come from the city
and nearby Maryland suburbs
not from points far away from
the city.