Evening star., 1953-01-23
Silver Spring
Road Project
Tops Priority
Maryland Highway
Plan Would Extend
Sixteenth Street
By Alex R. Preston

highway construction program
would place the extension Of
Sixteenth street from East West
highway to Georgia avenue on
its list Of highest priority prof.
ects in Montgomery County.
There are IA projects listed in
the State Roads Commission
secondary road program which
would be completed within the
first four-year phase of the 12-
year program All but three Of
these projects are within the
Bethesda Chevy Chase silver
Spring area. The others are in
rural areas.
Projects Listed.
Among the other secondary
projects given equally high pri-
ority:
Build divided highway on Old
Georgetown road from Bank of
Bethesda to Bells Mill road at
Beane.
Widen Viers Mill road from
Brookville pike in Wheaton to
Rockville.
Widen and resurface Dale
drive and Seminary road from
Forest Glen road to Piney Branch
road, Silver Spring.
Acquire rights -of-way along
Bradley boulevard from Leland
street in Chevy Chase to Hill
mead.
Major Rural Project.
A major rural project would
be the resurfacing and widening
Of Route % from the Frederick
County line 1872 miles to Darnes-
town.
The Roads Commission which
this week submitted it's $3.50 mil
lion program to the General AS
sembly for approval, would con-
struct or improve 35.4 miles of
roads costing $6,784,000 in the
first four years of it's secondary
highways program for ,Montgom-
cry County.
The Sixteenth street extern
sion was recommended in a re-
cent Washington Metropolitan
Area Transportation Study
Although the improvement is
only 6 mile in length, it would
draw much of the traffic away
from the busy Georgia avenue
Colesville road intersection in
the heart of Silver Spring.
At present. much OF the Silver
Spring area traffic travels to and
from Washington every day by
way of sixteenth street NV.
and then turns into Colesville
road at the circle at the District
line.
The Roads Commission would
spend $8O0,000 to build two 81
foot lanes with a 12-foot median
strip dividing them and for a
bridge across the B. & o. tracks.
Traffic entering and leaving
Georgia avenue from the new
link would be channelized.
Old Georgetown Road.
The Old Georgetown road
project would extend 3.5 miles
from Wisconsin avenue in Be-
thesda and would cost 81, 1926, 900.
The present width of the pave
ment is 20 feet. The roadway
would be made into two 34-foot
lanes separated by 14-foot
strip on a 1OO-foot right-of-way.
Length of the Viers Mill road
project is Sc miles and the cost
is placed at $1,125.O00. The
present % and "a foot widths
would be increased to 48 feet all
the way between Wheaton and
Rockville.
The Dale drive-Seminary road
project would run 80 miles
through Silver Spring and would
cost $670,000. The 18 and 36
foot pavementS between Forest
Glen road and Piney Branch
road would be widened to A feet
the entire distance.
The Bradley boulevard project
from Chevy Chase indicates
where at least part OF the
Washington belt highway may
travel. The Roads Commission
lists the 2-mile-long Bradley
boulevard project as beginning
at Leland street and ending at
the Proposed Circumferential
Highway"
Accompanying maps show the
project as ending at Hillmead
and the circumferential route as
passing through an area between
Hillmead and Woodhaven. Roads
Commission engineers emphasize
however, that where rights-of-
way are to be acquired for new
roads, such as the circumferen-
tial route, the exact routing can
not be determined from the
maps.
Bradley Boulevard.
The Bradley boulevard project
would cost 81 1886 900 in the first
four-year phase for rights-of-
way, engineering and construc-
ton of one 34-foot lane and a
one-lane bridge over the B. & O.
Railroad. In the second phase
of the 12-year program, Bradley
boulevard would be widened to "a
feet to Macarthur boulevard and
in the final four-year period a
second 34-foot lane and railroad
bridge would be built from
Leland street to Hilimead.
The Route % project from
DarnestoWn to the Frederick
County line would cost $466 900
. to widen the 13.2-mile stretch of
road. The Senecs Greek Bridge
is included in the widening
work. Scheduled in connection
with this project is similar work
In Frederick County to connect
the remaining 81 miles with
Route is leading to the Potomac
River bridge at Point Of Rocks.
Other Secondary Projects.