CONTENTS H.R. 11395 (Whitener), to amend the National Capital Transportation Act of 1965 authorizing the prosecution of a transit development pro- gram for the National Capital region and to further the objectives of the Agencies (21) supporting this legislation and communications from them.. STATEMENTS Columbia Heights Business Men's Association, Reed Scott, president. National Capital Transportation Agency, Hon. Walter J. McCarter, Ad- MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD American University Park Citizens Association, Alfred S. Trask, president, Columbia Heights Citizens Association, Mrs. Lillian Howard, president, letter dated August 23, 1967 to Chairman Whitener__ Federal City Council, Miles L. Colean, chairman, transportation commit- tee, letter dated August 21, 1967 to the clerk, and statement. Federation of Citizens Associations of the District of Columbia, A. S. Trask, transportation committee, and C. A. Bechoefer, public utilities commit- Koockogey, G. M., past president, Kalorama Citizens Association, state- National Capital Transportation Agency, Hon. Walter J. McCarter, Ad- Exhibit A, map showing route of entire authorized rapid transit Exhibit B, map showing route of modified rapid transit system__. Exhibit C, chart showing crosstown bus routes touching rapid transit stations in northwest central area of Washington_- Exhibit D, chart showing existing (1967) and projected (1980) em- Figure 1, map showing route of authorized system (downtown). Figure 2, map showing route of modified system (downtown). Figure 14-A, flow map showing concentration of traffic in authorized 36 38 Figure 14-M, flow map showing concentration of traffic in system as Letter dated July 12, 1967, to the Speaker and to the Vice President, Letter dated August 4, 1967, to Chairman Whitener giving experience 18 AMEND THE NATIONAL CAPITAL TRANSPORTATION ACT OF 1965 WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 1967 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, SUBCOMMITTEE No. 4, The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10 a.m., in room 1310 Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Basil L. Whitener (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Representatives Whitener, Gude, and Steiger. Also present: James T. Clark, clerk; Sara Watson, assistant counsel; Donald Tubridy, minority clerk, and Leonard O. Hilder, investigator. Mr. WHITENER. The subcommittee will come to order. We will proceed with the hearing on the bill, H.R. 11395, to amend the National Capital Transportation Act of 1965. (H.R. 11395 follows:) [H.R. 11395, 90th Cong., 1st sess., by Mr. Whitener on July 12, 1967] A BILL To amend the National Capital Transportation Act of 1965 authorizing the prosecution of a transit development program for the National Capital region and to further the objectives of the Act of July 14, 1960 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, in accordance with section 204(c) of the Act of July 14, 1960 (40 U.S.C. 664(c); 74 Stat. 540), section 3(b) of the National Capital Transportation Act of 1965 (40 U.S.C. 681; 79 Stat. 664) is hereby amended to read as follows: "SEC. 3. (b) The work authorized by this section shall be subject to the provisions of the National Capital Transportation Act of 1960, shall be carried out substantially in accordance with the plans and schedules contained in the aforesaid report, as modified in the report of the Agency entitled 'Revised Transit Development Program for the Nation's Capital, 1967', and shall be subject to the following:" Mr. WHITENER. As I understand it, we have as our sole witness today Hon. Walter J. McCarter, Administrator of the National Capital Transportation Agency. Mr. McCarter, please come around. As you know, the House goes into session at 11:00 a.m. today. If you do not complete your testimony, we will hear you another day. Also, at that time if there are other witnesses who want to be heard, we shall hear them. STATEMENT OF HON. WALTER J. MCCARTER, ADMINISTRATOR, NATIONAL CAPITAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY Mr. MCCARTER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman and Members of the committee, I am Walter J. McCarter, Administrator of the National Capital Transportation Agency. I appear today in support of H.R. 11395, proposed legislation "to amend the National Capital Transportation Act of 1965 authorizing the prosecution of a transit development program for the National Capital region and to further the objectives of the Act of July 14, 1960." In addition, I would like to report to you on the progress which has been made to date on the authorized program. The National Capital Transportation Act of 1965-Public Law 89-173, approved Sept. 8, 1965, 79 Stat. 663-authorized the National Capital Transportation System to provide for the establishment of the system of rail rapid transit lines and related facilities described in the Agency's report entitled "Rail Rapid Transit for the Nation's Capital, January 1965." H.R. 11395 would modify that system in two material respects: (1) by adding a line to serve the new and rapidly growing concentration of Federal employment in Southwest Washington, and (2) by deleting the presently authorized Columbia Heights route. The modifications are described in detail in a report entitled "Revised Transit Development Program for the Nation's Capital, 1967" which was transmitted to the Congress by the Agency on July 12, 1967. It is requested that the report be made a part of the hearing record. Copies of the report have been furnished to each Member of the Committee and to the Committee staff. BACKGROUND With your permission, I should like first to report to you on the status of the authorized system, before urging the changes which I feel should be made. My background and experience of more than 45 years in the transit business, additional information not available when the 1965 plan was formulated, and some rather startling changes within the city of Washington, have all combined to produce my recommendations for changes in that plan. I feel that you should have this report, and I believe that my report will be of assistance to you in reaching a decision about the changes. I was appointed Administrator of NCTA in May 1965, not long after this committee had approved NCTA's Transit Development Program 1965. The legislation passed the House in July, the Senate in August, and on September 8, 1965, it was approved by the President (P.L. 89-173). Shortly thereafter, in October, Congress appropriated funds to permit the start of engineering and other work along the long path to actual construction. In the course of reviewing our request for funds for 1966, the Chairman and Members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies expressed concern whether or not certain traffic or patronage estimates of the Agency were sufficiently current or had been established by adequately sophisticated techniques. I was directed to arrange for an independent, professional study of probable patronage. This was welcome direction inasmuch as I felt that the results of the study would be of assistance to me in the review of the 1965 plan which I knew I must make. I had doubts about some elements of the 1965 plan. Pursuant to this direction from the Appropriations Subcommittee, I arranged for a study by an outstanding firm of traffic engineers. |