Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-28
The Evening Star Newspaper Company
A New Aqueduct Bridge.

The Secretary of War has given it
Senate committee on commerce that the
proposed bridge to replace the Aqueduct
bridge should be "at or near the site of
the present Aqueduct bridge, so as to
furnish direct connection between
Georgetoui and Rosslyn, Va The
opinion of Secretary Baker, formed after
personal inspection of the several pro-
posed sites. and consideration of the
arguments advanced in behalf of each,
should have weight in guiding the SEN
ate committee to just and reasonable
decision.
The need of new bridge is impera-
tive The time for tinkering with the
old structure and bolstcring it up passed
good many years ago. Some engineers
have condemned the bridge as unsafe
and other engineers have said that it
is reasonably safe if the load of ears
and trucks be restricted and their speed
kept low \ bridge that is only "rea-
sonably safe" and which cannot bear the
traffic which business demands ought to
be replaced by stronger bridge. A
bridge should be above suspicion.
The site of the present bridge or one
very near it should be the site of the
new bridge Criticism has been d.
rected against the bridge and not against
the bridge site. Property and business
interests have adjusted themselves to
the present site. No sacrifice of these
ought to be made because bridge has
grown old and weak and the traffic using
il has increased If other sections of the
city need bridge facilities with Virginia
that question should be considered on its
own merits.
Secretary Bakers Judgment is that
the Virginia end of the new bridge
should be at or very close to the south
end of the present bridge, that property
interests at Rosslyn may not be dis
turbed He favors a point two squares
east of the present north bridgehead as
the District end of the new bridge. This
will result in some disturbance of prop
erty rights in Georgetown, but to a
very slight extent compared with what
would follow if any one of the other
proposed sites should be chosen. There
has been so much discussion of the ques
ton and so much pressure has been
brought to bear to abandon the site of
the old bridge for one far to the east
ward that the people of Georgetown APP
pear ready to accept the Rosslyn-34th
street site as compromise.
The proposition that the present site
he abandoned and the bridge built be-
tween the foot of New York avenue and
the Virginia shore is a bad one from
two points of view. 1t would leave
Georgetown, long accustomed to bridge
connection with Virginia, without such
connection, and it might delay the build
ing of Washington-Ar Arlington memorial
bridge. To put the new bridge at that
point would make it practically super
fiuous upon the building of the me-
mortal bridge.
The only reason why the Secretary of
War favors 34th street instead of 36th
street as the District end of the pro-
posed bridge is that better bridgehead
facilities may be had there, the point
being made that because Of the bluff
on the north side of VI street and the
drop from NJ street to the level of
Water street, it would be costly to con-
struct bridge plaza TO relieve the stead
lily increasing traffic congestion at the
present bridge end. If the people of
Georgetown are satisfied with a4th street
as the District bridge end the case ought
to be considered closed and the new
bridge built as favored by the Secretary
Of War.