Evening star., 1959-06-18
Slow Progress
On Road Snaqs
Hit in County

Two Montgomery County
highway officials yesterday crit
icized the lack Of progress in
meeting the problems created
by increased traffic between
Maryland and Washington.
Mason A. Butcher, director
of public works, and Arthur X.
Spellhorn. Maryland National
Capital Park and Planning
Commission director OF PLAN
ming, concurred in a pessimistic
outlook for traffic conditions
in nearby Maryland.
They spoke in panel discus
sions before a Suburban Mary
land Builders Association con-
ference at Kenwood Country
Club on preparations to meet
the exploding" population in
Montgomery and Prince Georges
Counties in the next decade.
Mr.. Butcher said he disliked
talking about highways because
he was 80 pessimistic" about
the lack Of progress being made
in handling trafiic.
| Trouble Spot
Look at the corner OF Old
IGeorgetown road and Wiscon.
sin avenue in Bethesda" he
said. The trafiic signal system
was worked out in 1850 to
handle $4,000 cars a day. If
you travel that road in the wee
small hours Of the night, it
works beautifully; 1t changes
Just ahead Of you.
Conditions there are the
same today with $4,000 cars
going by and the road carries
them as poorly as it did $4,000
eight years ago. We think it's
reached a saturation point
although we figured that last
year. too"
Georgia avenue in Silver
l6pring also handles about Co.
900 automobiles a day and
cant carry any more" he
added.
Mr.. Spellhorn said he agreed
with Mr.. Butcher.
81. too. am pessimistic about
our road program for handling
bulk traffic" he declared. 1--WE
are unwilling or unable to face
up to the rough decisions that
have to be made for the gen.
eral welfare, u get automobiles
TO and from the District"
People who move into the
suburbs want to keep every
thing just as it was when .hey
decided to leave the city, Mr..
Spellhorn said.
| They are in favor of high
ways and community swimming
pools and schools-'but not
next to my property" he
pointed out.
Some planners talk about
sending Maryland trafic across
the projected Cabin John
Bridge into Virginia but un-
fortunately not everybody
wants to go to Florida on vaca-
tons by way of Virginia; most
of them want to 60 into the
District. Over in Virginia,
they're busy planning ways to
send the traffic back into Mary
land. The theory must be that
II we wear people out, maybe
they'll decide it's not worth
going into Washington"
Stop at MonOraiIs
He observed that there are
a lot Of Buck Rogers methods"
suggested to handle travel into
the city, such as monorails.
There are only two mono
rails in existence. one in Ger
many and the other in Disney
land. If it is as good as they
claim, you'd think it would have
caught on better"
i Edmund J. Bennett, chair
man of the conference, stated
that the future population
growth in the two counties is
estimated at 100000 addition
al residents by 1870, or a 81
per cent increase. Washington
is the second fastest growing
metropolitan area in the coun-
try behind Houston, Tex, he
said.
Mr.. Bennett said that the
building industry seeks close
cooperation with the govern
ments of both counties to OBJ
tain comprehensive master
plans showing future parks.
road and school development
and zoning requirements.