The Washington times., 1915-01-09
THE BRIDGE QUESTION

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No class of public works repre-
sents more utility or more ornamen-
tation than handsome bridges. There
is no one work In Washington more
admired than the Connecticut avenue
structure. Bridges, like railroads,
build up traffic. No matter how 1T
tie there may be before the bridge
is put in place, it will develop %
soon as the new route 10 opened. The
Connecticut avenue structure is di-
rectly in point. Only q few years
aro there was constant and Wild
eyed wonderment - to why such .
structure should have been placed
where nobody would want or need
to use it. Today q stream Of traf-
fic moves to and fro across 1t all
day and much of the night.
The wonderful bridges Of eastern
cities have not been initiated to any
extent in this country until recent
time. A new country, with mush-
room cities and towns growing up
SO suddenly that it was impossible
to get q perspective Of their future,
had neither the time nor the money
to erect great and permanent struc-
lures. So the bridges in cities were
very generally disfgurements rather
than adornments.
The time has come when . differ
ent conception dictates . new policy.
In the last twenty years many Of the
most beautiful as we'll - useful and
permanent bridges ever erected in
the world, have been built in this
country. It is rather remarkable
that 50 little should have been un-
dertaken here at Washington, by
way Of making the Potomac cross
ing more attractive. The Aqueduct
bridge is in point. A new structure
is absolutely needed as matter Of
sound economy. Either new bridge
must be provided or a great sum
must be spent in making it bet.
tor; and with that done it would be
only an old and old-fashioned struc.
ture, certain to be removed in time
and replaced by the right sort Of
modern fabrication.
Arlington is one Of the beauty
spots as well as one Of the sacred
memorials Of the nation. Adjoining
it is Fort Myer; the two making {
Government interest Of the very
first class. Across the river from
them is the Capital City. Certainly il
would be edifficultto find da place wher'
more unusual conditions bespoke b.
liberal Government policy. The Pc
tomac is one Of the great and beauti
full streams Of the country. Their
is a vast traffic across it which de
mands the best Of connections be
tween the highway system Of Vir
vinia and the streets Of the District
The bridge should be provided, ant
with the least possible delay.
A proposal that some copartner
ship be arranged, in building an
bearing the expense and control o
the bridge, suggests something lik
a backward step toward the old da
of toll roads and bridges. Especiall
is this implied in the proposal tina
the electric railroads using tn
bridge should be made to bear PAL
of the cost of the structure, sue
gested to be one-fourth. The i'm
position Of that burden would b
equivalent to a surrender Of tn
right to provide the cheapest poi
sible transportation for the entir
community dependent on the bridg'
1t would complicate the whole que!
ton of controlling and regulatin
the carriers. Public policy nov
adays recognizes pretty uniforml
that transportation needs to b
made as inexpensive as possible, an
to be as intimately under publ
regulation as may be. A three {
four-party partnership in such
structure would mean either that tn
Governments partners would g.
the worst of the transaction, or el,
} that they would give the public IL
worst of it. There is every rease
why a bridge connecting Washing
ton with Fort Myer and Arlingtc
should be a great Government worl
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