The Reconstruction of Moscow

and foremost of widening, straightening, and levelling the streets, and of abolishing excessive crossings. At the present time Moscow has 666 streets^ 1,326 pere- uloks, 119 blind alleys, 59 embankments and 39 boule- vards and avenues. With the extension of the territory of the city repre- senting an almost threefold increase in area (,28,500 hec- tares in 1935 as against 9,000 hectares in 1913) the number of streets has almost doubled, while the number of pereuloks and blind alleys has increased by only one- third, i This is explained by the fact that from the very begin- ning of the Revolution big streets were laid out in the new parts of the city, not lanes and bUnd alleys. As is shown in the following table, the width of Mos- cow streets at the present time is altogether inadequate for modern urban traffic and particularly for the enor- mous development of auto-transport which is being planned for Moscow. This is shown below. Width (in metres) Gorky St. 20 At the narrowest point 14.7 Bolshaya Dmitrovka 19.6 Dzerzhinsky St. 20.5 Kirov St. 21.5 i Marosseika 19.1 Solyaiika 20.1 Bolshaya Ordinka 18.7 Malaya Ordinka 15.1 Bolshaya Yakimanka 20.6 Bolshaya Polyanka 19.1 Comintern St. 22.5

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