Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-07-28
Potomac Route
For 24O Raises
Citizen Protest

| ASPOAe IA SINS NOAAo0A uCSAOAA
Of the District leg of Route 240
along the Potomac River
aroused citizen opposition yes
terday almost as soon as it was
made public.
Details were published yeSter-
day. The report calls for con-
struction of q SAB million
limited access freeway along
the Georgetown riverfront and
through the Palisades area in
preference to five other possible
routes.
The report was made to the
District Commissioners by the
Clarkeson Engineering Co. for
$4,000. The consulting firm
had already made a tentative
Recommendation Of the route
N January. The present report
offers detailed Qualifications for
its choice.
Renewing protests voiced
when the earlier recommends
ton was made, representatives
Of the Palisades Citizens Asso-
citation called the reports con-
illusions ridiculous"
Doesn't Make Sense"
1T still doesn't make much
sense to taxpayers" said Col.
Robert B. Curtiss, vice presi-
dent Of the association and
chairman of its roads COM
mittee. why put the road
here? The city is already sat-
urated with traffic and other
sections are crying for relief,
but they insist on building the
road here where it's not
wanted"
Col. Curtiss pointed out that
the proposed route would chan
mel 20 lanes Of trafflc into q
narrow corridor along the river.
He listed these as four lanes ON
Canal road. six lanes on Mac
Arthur boulevard. four lanes
Just across the river in the new
extension of the George Wash
ington Memorial parkway and
six additional lanes for the pro-
posed Route 240 freeway.
Coming into town from its
connection at the District line
with the Maryland portion of
Route 240. the freeway would
follow the high ground of the
Palisades area. passing between
Canal road and Macarthur
boulevard. 1t would be elevated
to cross the bottom Of Foxhall
road and the bottom of Glover
Archbold-Park. Then, in the
neighborhood of Georgetown
University. it would swing
toward the river, crossing Canal
road on another elevated
structure.
There is would split, the
westbound section continuing
into the Whitehurst freeway
and the eastbound section veer-
ing out over the river itself.
This section would be carried
on a bridge paralleling the
shore line and passing under
Key Bridge and continuing to
about Thirty-fourth street,
where it would swing back
overland again.
Both sections would then
continue to point just west of
Washington circle where they
would JOIN the proposed Dis.
trict Inner Loop. s.
Lanes Doubled
The number of lanes would
increase from four to eight as
the route approached the down.
town area. The total length
would be as miles.
More than 300 homes and
businesses would have to 60 to
make way for the road. About
half of these would be required
for the downtown connection
with the Inner Loop.
Connections with the pro-
posed Outer Loop would be
made at high-level Potomac
River bridge in line with Ari-
iona avenue just below Chain
Bridge.
The report said the route
would be cheaper than any OF
the f1ve others studied. These
alternates included Wisconsin
avenue; q river route using
Canal road; a route going
crosStown to near Dupont
circle; and two routes which
would use part Of Glover-Arch-
bold Park.
The Glover-Archbold Park
routes also would have run in
to this difficulty-donors Of the
park lands and the District and
the National Park Service have
agreed that the park cannot be
used for roads carrying truck
traffic.
William @. Smith. another
member Of the roads committee
OF the Palisades Citizens AS
ISOLATION, said We've known
this was what they were going
to do. but 1t is still prepos-
ferrous"
~ +'Gzsl9ss