THE WASHINGTON POST
Friday, June 7, 1996

NO AVENUE OF ESCAPE U.S. AGREES PENNSYLVANIA 'S CLOSE IS JAMMING DOWNTOWN

By Stephen C. Fehr and Alice Reid

Washington Post Staff Writers

The federal government confirmed yesterday what commuters, cabbies, business owners and some members of Congress have been saying for a year: The closing of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House has added to downtown traffic congestion, squeezing 30 percent to 50 percent more cars onto adjacent city streets.

But to those who would like to see the reopening of Pennsylvania Avenue, which was blockaded a year ago by President Clinton because of security concerns after the Oklahoma City bombing, administration officials yesterday said: Forget it.

"We believe there are those on our own soil that would target the White House," said Jim Johnson, assistant treasury secretary for enforcement, who is scheduled to speak today at a congressional hearing on the report. "It is also clear from devastation in Oklahoma City, in Beirut and elsewhere that a car or truck bomb can have a devastating impact over a wide area.... Traffic was a concern and remains a concern, but the overriding concern is security.

Rep. Thomas M. Davis m (R-Va.), however, said yesterday that the Secret Service had not proved the security risk was serious enough to keep the street closed permanently, and he has amended a pending Interior Department appropriations bill that would prevent the National Park Service from spending $40 million to create a park where the street now runs.

"We need more analysis and justification, and we haven't had that yet," said Davis, who along with Del. Eleanor Holmes Nortor· (D-D.C.) is angry at the Clinton administration for not reimbursing the city for problems created by the closing. "Nobody is saying reopen the street at this point," Davis said. "I just think we're very unsure about the justification. Before we spend $40 million, we should take a deep breath and see what's involved."

The long-delayed federal study, to be re leased today, compared traffic before and after the May 1995 barricading of Pennsylvania Avenue. It found that the number of cars on Constitution Avenue had increased by 50 percent, while traffic on H and I streets had risen by one-third. The report, paid for by the Federal Highway Administration, wa; done by a private consultant.

North-south routes, such as 14th, 17th, 18th and 19th streets, also have gained more cars and trucks, as drivers struggle to find a way around the now-blockaded street that once carried an average of 28,000 vehicles on weekdays. Traffic on two streets, 13th and 15th, has decreased.

The result for drivers has been not only clogged streets but also frayed nerves.

Ernest Williams, 22, who commutes from Baltimore, said the new traffic patterns have added about 35 minutes to what was a 75 minute drive.

"It's a real inconvenience. I could stop by and get something to eat at McDonald's. Instead, I'm sitting in traffic," said Williams, interviewed yesterday afternoon by a reporter who walked alongside his car as it crawled along I Street between 16th and 17th streets.

"You get mad," he said. "You want to curse out the guy in front of you, the guy beside of you, the guy behind you who's blowing his horn."

In addition, the report said changes in bus routes necessitated by the closing have cost Metro almost $300,000 because more buses are needed to maintain on-schedule service, and the District has lost nearly $100,000 in revenue because parking meters have been taken out to accommodate more traffic on H and I streets.

Davis said last night that his amendment to the appropriations bill, to be considered in a few weeks, would prevent construction of the park unless the Clinton administration proves it's needed for security.

Told of Davis's comments, James I. McDaniel, the National Park Service"s White House liaison, said last night: "it doesn't surprise me, but it is obviously a signal and one we will listen to. But we had no intention of proceeding without Congress's concurrence."

The report includes several options for improving downtown traffic flow but no price estimates. None of the options calls for reopening Pennsylvania Avenue.

One idea would be to open E Street, which is one-way in the area, to two-way traffic between 15th and 17th streets to improve eastwest flow, which the study calls "inadequate."

Once the Ronald Reagan Federal Office and International Cultural Center opens at Federal Triangle, adding·more than 2,000 vehicles to the mix, the situation will get worse, the report predicts. Other suggestions vary in complexity. They include improving the timing of downtown traffic lights, taking out parking meters to allow more traffic on some streets and building a tunnel to replace Pennsylvania Avenue between 15th and 17th streets.

Pennsylvania Ave. Closure || Peace Park