Evening star., 1953-09-29
Mill Rd.
Widening SET
For Early Start
County Council and
Stute Rood OfficioIs
Work Out Priorities

Work Out Priorities
Work will begin this fall or
early next year on reconstruction
and widening of heavily travelled
Viers Mill road from Rockville
to Wheaton. the Maryland State
Roads Commission said yes
terday.
Roads commission officials met
with the Montgomery County
Council and the county's An
napolis delegation to determine
priorities of roads to be built in
the first four years of the States
12-year road program.
In the first phase. the State
plans to spend about $29 million
on road building in the county.
Some $23 million will be spent
on 88 miles of primary roads and
$6.784.000 on 35.4 miles Of Sec
ondary roads.
County officials agreed top pri-
ority should go to the traffic
snarled, narrow, twisting route
1913 that runs along Connecticut
avenue, Kensington Wheaton
road and Old Bladensburg road
and the extension of Sixteenth
street from East-West highway
to Georgia avenue.
Survey crews already are
working on Viers Mill road, and
the project is expected to cost
the State $1.25 million.
Dual Lanes Asked.
The county council yesterday
asked the commission to make
the road a dual-lane highway in
stead of an undivided 48-foot
road as planned.
The council urged the roads
commission to do work on both
ends of Route 1913, leaving the
middle portion from Wheaton to
Four Corners to the last. The
entire road will be made a dual
lane.
The roads commission said
seven projects already have been
authorized for construction.
Work on the new Washington
national pike from Clarksburg to
Germantown road is underway.
The national pike will be ex-
tended to the point of the pro-
posed southeast leg cutoff in
the first four years. Also slated
in the first phase of the pro-
gram is construction of the
southeast leg to the East-West
highway.
Other Projects Authorized.
Besides the national pike and
the, Viers Mill road work, the
other projects already authorized
include:
|. MARYLAND Route 2s,. planning and
| right-of-way purchase from Rockville
| vile.
u,5s z Flower avenue re-sqrtacing and
gests this be .widened to A feet with
3. Columbia boulevard from Second
avenue to Georgia avenue, re-surfacing
only.
to North Woodside. prison labor now is
5. Route Ss. I32 miles from Darnes-
town to Frederick County line. re-sur-
facing and widening
On Unofficial List.
A. F. Di Domenico. Office en-
gineer of the commission said
most of these projects will be
gotten underway within a year.
In suggesting priorities for pri-
mary road construction, the ccun-
Gilman came up with this un-
official list:
/. Route 1913
.. River road to be built as a dual lane
highway from the District line "a miles
west toward the new National pike. The
roads commission had suggested 1t be
built east from the National pike.
3. Route 240 from Rockville to Cedar
lane, The council wants 1t dual lane all
the way. The roads commission has Sug-
gested dual lane from Rockville to Gros-
4 Route 81 from new National pike
% miles toward Damascus. widening to
"a feet, Strengthening and resurfacing.
>. Colesville road from Franklin ave-
nue. to White Oak. dual lane. Also will
| do plans and buy rights -of-way for en-
Georgia avenue.
The council agreed that the
Roads Commission, if possible,
should step up its priority on
New Hampshire avenue from the
Prince Georges line to White
Oak. The Prince Georges Com
missioners also asked that this
project be stepped up.
GlenmOnt to Olney.
Also to be done in the first
four years will be rights-of-way
purchases and plans for Georgia
avenue extended from Glenmont
to Olney. The Roads Commission
also is considering moving
ahead with the proposed cir
cumferential route.
PrloritleS set up Tor secondary
road work include:
l. Sixteenth street extension.
. Old Brookeville road from DISTRICT
line to Woodbine stree. widen to "A
3. Old Georgetown road from Belle
Mil road to Wisconsin avenue, two "a
foot lanes with 14-foot median strip in
/ 90 feet of right of way
4 Seminary road and Dale drive
from Forest Glen road TO Piney Branch
road widen to "A feet.
). Bradley lane from Leland street TO
proposed circumferential route, build
one 34-foot lane Of proposed dual high
s. Armory avenue from Kensington-
Wheaton road to Baltimore and Ohio
tracks widen to "a feet
Z. St, Paul street in Kensinston.
:. Columbia pike from Burtonsyiile
widen to "a feet and resurface.
The council also has asked the
State Roads Commission to con-
slider widening and resurfacing
Choppers road from Gaithersburg
to Buck Lodge.
AS the council wound up the
conference, it directed Mason
Butcher, public works director
and County Manager E. T. Beall
to study the proposed construc-
ton to see what the county will