Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-06
First Of q Series.

millions upon millions of dollar,
First Of Series.
worth of road projects now or
the planning boards-than it hal
today.
This fear, of course, does no
minimize Importance of the roac
Improvement programs. For The
Washington areas present high.
way systems already are so fal
behind traffic demands that mosI
Of the projects represent effort:
to catch up.
The fears about the future
however. are born in the con-
Germ that steadily increasing
traffic volumes may outstrip the
most pie-in-the-sky road plans
Report Due In Fall
Next fall, the National Capita
Regional Planning Council. pub
fishing results of its S400, 000
stlloy Of Washington area trans
portation. will try to come UP
with soma Of the answers on fu-
ture trafflc--and possible ways
to handle it.
Specifically, the report will
estimate the cost of an "all-high-
way system designed to meet
the needs of traffic two decades
from now, as the area moves
toward a predicted population
of 3 million. Another study will
analyze the possibility and costs
Of a combined highway ana rapid
transit system. Still another will
propose new highways, in which
a system of express buses would
use the centers of the new roads
A key element in all of them
will be the validity Of estimates
OF future traffic-a crystal-ball
flelc in which virtually all eX-
perts in the past have fallen fiat
on their faces
After World War II. experts
consistently predicted a leveling-
off OF traffic. Now, throughout
the nation, there is growing
agreement that no end is in
sight. Accordingly, officials are
d eveloping more accurate
formulate for predicting future
volumes. relating them to an
ticipated development in each
part of the area. and using past
experience to check new estl-
mating systems.
Realistically. however. even
those who doubt most the ability
of highways tn solve all The
traffic problems concede that
highway expansion. unprece-
dented in scope, is the greatest
single need.
Sad Traffic Picture Here
Here Is the SAD traffic pic
ture of the Washington area.
Every day. more than twice
as many cars now edge their
way across Wa hington s
boundaries to ard from the
suburbs than 10 years ago.
In 1916, according to a spe-
cial District Highway Depart
ment study. daily average OF
338.726 vehicles crossed the Dis
trict lines at all points to and
from Maryland and Virginia.
In 1855 (the last year for
, which daily average figures are
availabiel, the volume was &C.,
960-more than double
During those 10 years, the
Federal Government built part
of the Shirley highway in Viz
glnia and the Suitland parkway
and part of the Wa snington-
Baltimore parkway in Maryland
What did the two States pro-
vide?
AT the District line, a check by
city officials showed, Maryland
provided an increase of only
eight lanes of traffic-ouring the
decade when District line traffic
was doubling. In 1916, the 25 ma
jor roads leading from Maryland
to the District contained 81
lanes. in 1855, they contained
only ~ lanes.
Virginia View Is Darker
The Virginia picture is even
darker. The only additional di-
rect road capacity between VIZ
ginia and the District was the
new tour-lane Fourteenth Street
Bridge over the Potomac River
Neither State. with its own
funds. completed single brand
new arterial highway directly to
the District line and. in fact. still
hasn't.
The 1865 traffic growth at
the District Virginia boundaries
jumped from l29.232 to 227.l55
slightly under 100 per cent.
The District-Maryland growth
considerably exceeded doubling.