‘Infrastructure for the family of Man’
A Summer 1963 conversation between U.S. President
John F. Kennedy,
and Speaker of the House William John McCormack
John William
McCormack Drive - the former Brookland Avenue
within Washington D.C. along the western side of the B&O railroad at the eastern edge of the main campus of Catholic University of America
U.S. Speaker of the House John William McCormack
1963 Boston Inner Belt Park Covered Tunnel proposal
Washington, D.C. B&O 95 Corridor Overlook of the Capitol
just south of Franklin Street
A Telling renaming of
a local street for the man
who warned JFK not to push his great idea for Washington DC
Transcript of a private
conversation between U.S. President John F. Kennedy and U.S. Speaker of the
House John William McCormack while taking a tour between the eastern edge of
Catholic University of America and the west side of the B&O railroad in
Washington, D.C. on a arm and sunny day in the summer of 1963.
Found in a copy of the 1963 Boston
Inner Loop Design Study Report within the library of Catholic University of
America with a cryptic note: “the re-naming of Brookland Avenue alongside
CUA after the speaker, relates to his warning to JFK to not impose his grand
idea”
JFK- John, I think we had a great transportation report for
Washington DC. , one that will provide a better transportation system for Washington
DC and the area; one which is more efficient, less impactive and more
comprehensive, and which will meet with the approval of the people.
We have moved from the plan under my predecessor’s
administration in 1959, one quite heavy on vehicular highways with but a
skeletal rapid rail transit system, to one that is undeniably better balanced.
We greatly added to the proposed rapid rail transit
system.
And we greatly reduced the impact of the proposed freeway
system, downsizing some routes and consolidating others, vastly reducing the
new right of way requirements and displacement.
Yes we went along with the idea heavily promoted in far NW
to eliminate the I-70S NW Freeway, though substituting a series of reduced
footprint express roads through Bethesda down to the Potomac.
And we have eliminated the heavily impactive downtown full
interstate highway Inner Loop, deleting the I-66 North Leg along U Street and
the East Leg along 11th Street, replacing the former with a
depressed express street, and shifting the latter to a hybrid intermediate
routing along Eastern Avenue.
Yet the plan still provides
for a robust network of express roads and interstate highways, with that
latter link an interstate spec link to the Kenilworth Avenue freeway, supplemented
by the consolidated route of the two remaining planned northern radial freeways
– the North Central and the Northeast – into a “Y” route, with its left hand
portion along the B&O railroad industrial corridor, which is long
established, hence avoiding the introduction of a new local separation while
employing lightly developed rail-side industrial properties hence likewise
avoiding a lengthy swath of demolition, reducing that to a short stretch along
New York Avenue to connect with the planned Center Leg.
So strange that they were considering two separate routes
each cutting all new swaths through long established residential areas, rather
than this railroad-industrial corridor conveniently located midway between the eastern beltway and the Potomac. One along Georgia Avenue. The other directly through Brookland. And though there was consideration of using
the railroad in Silver Spring, they were going to have it then divert directly
south cutting down along Georgia Avenue.
Some 4,000 plus houses roughly along Georgia Avenue, while another
separate path was to be cut through NE- and to think right at the time that
Peter S Craig and his clientèle at Covington and Burling were getting to cancel the NW Freeway that was
only going to displace 74 houses to the west of Rock Creek Park, yet over 1,000
to the east. So it’s a good thing that
the local discussions could finally agree upon the obvious way of routing via
the B&O Metropolitan Branch RR.
JWM- Well yes, that would have been more direct for the
North Central, in the District along Georgia Avenue. As well as the easterly route for the
Northeastern – I-95 – considering the talk of running that East Leg straight to
the 11th Street Bridge along 11th Street, that land route subsequently nixed on Capitol
Hill. Yet that railroad corridor, given
its central location and the space there to the north of New York Avenue in the
rail-yards for the necessary interchange connections to the center leg and even
potentially the idea of an East Leg routed towards the Anacostia River which
your report did not include, does appear to be the correct choice. Appears.
JFK- “Appears”. What
are you getting at?
JWM- Well there are still some local concerns about that
routing.
JFK—Yes, yes, I know.
That about the connecting segment from Maryland routed via the Catholic
Sisters College property. The Church
objected and that’s been changed to the Fort Drive route between Gallatin and
Galloway Streets. I guess that the
Church would ever want anything to happen to that, like the adjoining
neighborhood being largely torn out or selling Catholic Sisters off to
development …
JWM- Yes, but
no. There are other concerns. Not so much about I-95 from Maryland. As you can gather, that new complex, Prince Georges
Plaza, was built for that and awaits that highway link via the adjacent
Northwest Branch Park corridor. That
route remains essentially unchanged by the switchover from the Catholic Sisters
route to the Fort Drive route. But
rather the very concern, ahem, relating to why you might thin, why the B&O route went
so ‘overlooked’ by the earlier freeway planning.
JFK- You mean there is some perceived conflict with the idea
of that corridor being used for the freeway along with the rapid rail
line? How? Something similar to that has already been
approved in Chicago.
JWM- John. Do you
think that Catholic Sisters is the only property of concern in NE?
JFK- Well, who or what along the B&O railroad within
Washington, D.C. opposes the freeway routing there?
JWM- Well…
JFK- What?
JWM- Well, what’s the largest single property there along
the B&O railroad?
JFK- Are you trying to tell me that the Holy See opposes
running I-95 along the B&O railroad because that also runs by Catholic
University of America? That is the
largest single property along this corridor.
And it just happens to be perhaps the largest Catholic Church property
within Washington, D.C.
JWM- Well…
JFK- Well, what?
JWM- Well…
JFK- Well like what?
The planning has to place the highway there. It’s the sole established grade separated
transportation corridor within Washington, D.C. and conveniently located midway
between the now under construction Beltway in Maryland and the Potomac River. And it has a good amount of lightly developed
rail side industrial properties. So it
makes perfect sense operation ability wise and in achieving a freeway route
with the least impact to residential neighborhoods. And besides anyway, the planning places the
highway along the railroad’s eastern side, away from CUA to the west.
JWM- Yes. The option
of placing the highway to the railroad’s western side was briefly considered by
the 1960 Northeastern Freeway study report.
It appeared there as a preliminary idea that was dropped with little apparent
discussion.
JFK- Well, that’s understandable, given the basic
conventional wisdom given in that report, as it is so in so many freeway study
engineering reports.
But I’ve been thinking.
Why defer to conventional wisdom?
Have not you seen what’s being considered in our hometown
area of Boston? With the proposed Inner
Loop?
People there were up in arms over that idea, of an Inner
Loop Freeway in near downtown Boston. I
mean just think of the standard designs that we have seen for freeways,
freeways in urban areas in particular.
Either on the surface. Or up in
the air on a viaduct or an earthen or concrete berm. Or in a trench open to the sky. And especially upon a right of way either
involving clearing out substantial numbers of houses other buildings and or displacing
cherished park-lands. And with right of
way requirements that cannot be satisfied with something like DuPont Circle of
a trenchway-cut and cover tunnel combination within existing right of way.
So a bunch of us have been taking a more comprehensive look
at the matter to see about better ways of integrating freeways into the urban
fabric. Given the right of way
requirements e will want to maximize the use of existing relatively clear
areas, and given the traffic noise issues etc, we are going to want to go with
enclosed tunnel-way highways.
So we have come up with some interesting new designs for the
Boston Inner Loop, with berm-ways replaced with below grade designs, and with
open to the air designs replaced with enclosed tunnel-ways within box tunnel segments
and covered with park-lands to build upon and expand that restively rare
commodity within the urban fabric. Just
take a look at the preliminary report introduced just now in 1963 for the Inner
Loop, with a more detailed report due shortly afterwards. Just look at this concept as applied to the
Fenway.
JWM- Well that does
look nice.
JFK- Yes it
does.
Now imagine that here, right alongside Catholic University
of America.
And note this, as we meander southward alongside Catholic
University along Brookland Avenue along the railroad’s western side. Note what happens as we travel further south,
past Michigan Avenue along this industrial strip along 8th Street NE
which begins widening as we continue to Franklin Street, and then walk up onto
the Franklin Street overpass and look south.
See how the topography descends, revealing what would be the best
through the windshield view along the Maine to Florida I-95 or indeed perhaps
anywhere along the U.S. interstate highway system. See how the Capitol rotunda and the
Washington Monument all come into view.
JWM- You mean placing
the I-95 North Central Freeway along the western side of the railroad?!
JFK- Yes. For the southbound lanes, given both the
space issues and that panoramic view through the windshield of the U.S. Capitol
greeting inbound travelers. None of the
studies even mention this major benefit with such a routing.
JWM- Of course they don’t.
It would be rather costly to have the southbound lanes burrow beneath
the railroad from the east to west sides to the south of CUA. And running I-95 directly along CUA would
ruin it with the traffic noise.
JFK- Yes by
conventional means.
But this will not be a conventional highway.
Just think about the new proposals for the Inner Belt Fenway
segment.
We’ll place the southbound DC I-95 lanes alongside CUA and
the western side of the railroad encased within a box tunnel directly beneath
Brookland Avenue and then further south beneath 8t Street NE, with Brookland
Avenue and 8th Street reconfigured to be continuous alongside our
new grand, gently arcing pedestrian promenade.
Just as I-695 in Boston shall pass beneath a pedestrian promenade at the
Fenway, I-95 shall pass beneath a new pedestrian promenade alongside CUA in
Washington D.C. It shall be great!.
JWM- Oh really?
JFK- Oh yes! And not
simply I-95 or combined I-95/I-70S, but also the adjacent railroad. Cover that as well with our new covered
highway!
JWM- Are you sure
that you want to do that?
JFK- Why not? It
would not be like being next to a conventional freeway or railroad. Rather it would be being next to a new linear
park. A new northern extension of the
National Mall, conceivably, with it being brought even southward of where the
freeway would turn to join the Center Leg, addressing the rail corridor all the
way down to Union Station. Just looking
at that with how its outer walls mar out a set of service road extensions of Delaware
Avenue, and with that half traffic circle in front it looks like something the
McMillan Commission would have come up with if they had only extended their
vision a bit further.
JWM- Well…
JFK- John. This is a
splendid opportunity to address how major road projects ought to be designed to
better fit within urban environments.
Many have questioned carving new freeways through cities due
to the right of way requirements of displacement/demolition; hence they have
called for avoiding such types of routings.
But there are also issues of the noise from such
concentrated traffic.
And as we already know from the recent planning, wealthier
areas are getting away with avoiding their fair share of the traffic
burden. Our 1962 report went along with canceling the NW Freeway. But look at
downtown Bethesda and Friendship Heights.
Those areas are envisioned to be massively redeveloped. That means massively demolished to
accommodate the new redevelopment. And
look at those in NW that opposed the NW Freeway with the opposition primarily
from far NW where the freeway would have displaced 74 houses, while supporting
the North Central Freeway along Georgia Avenue displacing an upwards of 4,000+
houses. WTF?
So to better accommodate the urban freeways build them as
tunnels. Not so much tunnels drilled
deep underground. But rather simple box
tunnel construction of what would have been built anyway a s an open trenched
freeway.
And do it comprehensively.
It would include reconstructing our railroads as well, not
only providing a comprehensive highway network but a comprehensive road network
wit he reconstruction of our urban railways with improved capacity and
geometry. It’s a win win. Let’s make the I-95 B&O freeway the model
for America!
JWM- Well…
JFK- Are you trying to tell me that the Holy See would
oppose that?
People have already opposed overly destructive urban
freeways.
The Holy See opposed the Catholic Sisters route openly.
Yet I have not heard anything about them opposing the
B&O route North Central Freeway. Are
you telling me to expect reading about them opposing a project for a freeway
that is tunneled, and via a project that also tunnels the railroad? What are to expect to see in the papers that
the Papacy opposes a freeway that takes but a fraction of the houses taken by
other freeways that they did not object, and that they not only oppose a freeway
that is tunneled but likewise oppose a project that would likewise tunnelize
the railroad. Are people to expect to
see the Roman Catholic Church champion getting over upon the public merely to
maintain their splendid isolation behind a surface railroad?
Please!
JWM- John, well… Why
do you think the planning was going for separate freeways along Georgia Avenue
and further east, displacing 1000s of houses rather than use the lightly
developed industrial properties along this centrally located railroad right
next to the largest Catholic property in Washington DC.
JFK- John, well what?
So they were going to try to get away with bulldozing 1000s
of peoples homes to avoid routing the freeway through a lightly developed
railroad industrial corridor simply to placate some neurotics in control of
CUA!
I as elected to be President of the United States, not to be
the errand boy for Rome. Hence, I have
recently reconsidered our 1962 report’s abandonment for the 3 Sisters Bridge. Lets look to a better design for the approach
roadways, particularly the connecting freeway along the Georgetown waterfront,
putting that into a park covered tunnel.
And let’s take another look at what we did with the Inner Loop. It is good that we deleted the U Street
trench-way and berm-way for crosstown I-66.
But our ‘express street’ plans still displace a significant number of
townhouses while providing only 2 lanes in each direction- a lack of capacity
likely to lead to another such project needed to parallel that in a few years
still displacing more homes. And is not
relocation of the East Leg to Eastern Avenue more than a bit disjointed,
particularly without the remaining western portion of the previously proposed
intermediate beltway? For something
more workable, let’s build a 3 Sisters Bridge connected to a fully tunneled
I-66 across downtown fully beneath existing street right of way with at least 3
lanes in each direction. And have it
connect to an Inner Loop East Leg along the western bank of the Anacostia
River, right to the site of East Capital Street were they are planning that new
stadium. There is plenty of
underutilized land along the Anacostia’s western bank that could better
accommodate a freeway with a tunnel box built right into the side of the hill,
with a new pedestrian promenade there- way better than that monstrosity on the
eastern side of the river that cuts everything off from the waterfront. How can we tolerate that when they have not
built tunneled freeways elsewhere in Washington, D.C.
Please. That status
quo is just so inequitable on the surface that I doubt that the American people
would ever stand for that.
JWM- You think that
you can get away with that? Have you
forgotten what you are dealing with?
Remember what happened to Charles L’Enfant? He wanted to interfere with the Carol
family’s Tobacco loading dock area by not letting them have their mansion just
a little closer to the canal, and was subsequently fired by George Washington
himself.
JFK- Do you really
think that Rome could get away with stopping this vital project? I-95 is only like America’s Main Street along
the East Coast from Maine to Florida. Do
you really think that I-95 could be scuttled and stubbed at the Beltway, with
10s of thousands of people driving there daily seeing the highway so stopped at
the Beltway? And particularly with that
enormous paralleling power line right of way that continues within the Beltway,
even though the planning fails to use that, owing to the desire to instead
route the freeway directly to that new development- Prince Georges Plaza. Come on now.
Whether routed via the power line right of way or via the stream valley,
it takes very few dwellings. Likewise
within the District along the railroad a mere fraction of that which 95 would
require in southwestern Boston, or for its Inner Belt connection. The DC 95 B&O plan was the result of 2
years of negotiations amongst numerous parties within the District.
Now let’s stop this nonsense. We are hardly Rome’s vessel. Once it is built, they will see the folly of
their ways; indeed that Farnese family that
created the Jesuit Order and runs much of the show along with the other ancient
Roman Catholic Church families, can always adopt the park covered cut and cover
freeway concept to their urban freeways.
Think about those that were built along waterfronts. Those could be rebuilt underground beneath
new park-lands, and they could even do so while doubling the capacity of the
freeway, as it would be enclosed.
JWM- Jack, you are
really pushing the envelope. Do you
really want to risk it?
JFK- Look the
planning is already coming along nicely.
We have an engineering report being worked on, including by some of
those working on the Boston Inner Loop Fenway park covered freeway tunnel. They are taking that idea and applying it to
this very corridor right alongside Catholic University.
And 95 itself is practically completed in northern
Maryland. I’ll be delivering a speech
there in the next few months at its upcoming dedication ceremony. Some important people shall be there,
including New York’s Robert Moses.
Hopefully I’ll have a conversation with him about my ideas for radically
more considerate urban freeway design, that he could take back to his home
state, and perhaps introduce some plans to bury say Manhattan’s ring road
freeways, you know the FDR and particularly that antiquated West Side Highway
that dates back from the 1920s. Now THAT
could be a useful upcoming project to reconstruct that updated and improved
beneath new parkland to serve a broader swath of humanity rather than say more
and more prison construction, like that I was being prodded by that fruitcake
Harry Anslinger. New York's liberal progressive community would go strongly in support of updating and improving these freeways underground- I don't see how they could ever oppose that- or let alone go along with sending the money instead transferred to unaudited bureaucracies or building more prisons.
JWM- Jack.
You think that?
All I can
say is that there are some powerful political roadblocks to what you want to
do. They really know how to get what they want by manipulating public opinion. They are masters at getting the public to subvert its own best interest. And you have no idea how you underestimate their ability to achieve that!
JFK- What? That they could get people to prefer urban freeways that are not tunneled?
Well yes, I already know about the incentive regarding that- aka the air pollution issue.
And I recall that newspaper campaign by that drunkard, Cissy Patterson against the DuPont Circle traffic tunnel, once one of her crocked son in law's fraternity brothers who got him to malign the Tucker automobile got her to start that because of some petro exec's fears of the pollution hot spots at the road tunnel portals.
Well, once the road tunnels are built than people
can really get a good whiff at how our petrochemical mercantilism is poisoning
the atmosphere so we can then move towards an open fuel standard.
On that note, Chrysler has this
turbine engine automobile project going that can burn just about any combustible liquid fuel, except leaded gasoline and is set to begin delivery of a run of 50 or so of these new T-Bird like coups starting sometime this fall. As with our X-20 space plane, we are a nation destined to move ahead!
JWM- Jeszz. Are you
trying to get yourself assassinated?
FK- John,
please. Did you forget my inauguration
speech? Why do you think that my best
known phrase was ‘ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do
for your country”.
Why do you think that is my most often cited quote?
