Evening star., 1955-07-08

that any kind of street work
even if suspended during rush
hours. docs hamper movement
of traffic during the strike. Un-
less it is real emergency,
don't believe they should be tear
ing up streets"
Difficulty Discounted
Mr.. Robertson said he could
not observe any great traffic diff
ficulties on Fourteenth street
however. He pointed out that
even when his men are working
they only take up two lanes
leaving four lanes free for auto.
mobiles.
-Four lanes, after all. is as
much as the autos usually have
there when the streetcars are
running and taking up two
lanes" he said.
Other trouble spots cited by
Chief Murray are on Nichols ave-
niue Sc. in front of St. Eliza.
Ibeths Hospital and the intersec.
Ition in Takoma Park where
Fourth, Cedar and Blair street.
come together.
The Takoma Park intersection
has now been boarded over dur.
ing rush hours, but Chief Muir.
ray says it would have beer
better if the construction worE
had been deferred until after the
strike.
On Nichols avenue. the prob.
lem is more acute. Work there
requires laying two inches of new
asphalt. Since this leaves a high
ridge where the new surface
meets the old, workers have beer
leaving their barricades in place
even when they knock off for the
rush hour traffic.
Since Nichols avenue is mar.
row, this barricading means that
traffic can use only one lant
each way. Police Capt. William
II. Murphy. commanding the
18th precinct, calls the work
there "a great inconvenience to us
and to motorists"
Protest Surprises Lane
Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Lane
Engineer Commissioner, was sur.
Iprised to learn this morning oi
Chief Murray's latest protest
He said he was under the i'm
Ipression that the chief and the
Highway Department had worked
out a street repair plan satis-
factory to both.
Speaking generally, he said
there is no reason why all street
repair work should cease solely
because of the strike.
1T is a question of fact" Gen
Lane said, that if repair work
interferes with traffic, it should
be suspended. Otherwise, il
should proceed. Naturally We
don't want to increase the bur-
den on the already overburdeneo
police force"
| Mr.. Robertson, meanwhile
pointed out that indefinite STOP
page of street work could cost
the District extra money. He ex-
planned that all his department. s
contracts with private street con-
struction and repair firms have
a time limit. If the contractors
have no place to put their men
to work, they may file a claim
against the District, he said.
AS far as possible, Mr.. Roberts
said. he was restricting work to
outlying and residential areas
where traffic flow is not so heavy
New York Avenue Contract
One contract however, pro.
Ivides only for work on New York
avenue between Seventeenth anc
Eighteenth streets NV. (com.
lpleted this week.; a job on Con.
inecticut avenue from Calvert
street to Wyoming avenue (not
yet started. Unless the con-
tractor can work on one or more
of these projects. he said, he will
have to lay his men off.
The Connecticut avenue work
may be deferred a while, never
theless. Mr.. Robertson said, in
view of the protests.
I'VE must consider the human
element too" Mr.. Robertson said
because right now, in the sum-
mer months, is the best time for
our work"
But I'm good soldier" he
added. If they tell me to stop,
I'll stop"
In all, the Highway Depart
ment is engaged on "a construc-
tion jobs and about 80 repair
jobs to streets.
That is a normal load for this
time OF year. Many of the repair
jobs consist Of replacing street
surface torn up for installation
'of utilities such as gas, sewer and
electricity.
Urge Meter Enforcement
There were these other de-
VelopmentS on the traffic front:
The Commissioners Traffic Ad-
vistory Board at a special meet
ing yesterday urged restoration
OF parking meter enforcement
next Wednesday, If the strike is
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Kodak
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