Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-03-01
Maryland Legislators Hear
Speakers Urge National
Defense Highway.
ADVOCATE THIRD SIDE
OF TRIANGLE BE BUILT
State Senator Duvall and Delegate
Van Horn Elated Over Success Of
Hearing-Historical Sketch.

special Correspondence OF The Star.
ANNAPOLIS. Md. March State
Senator Frank NJ. Duvall of Anne
| Arundel county and Delegate r. Lee
Van Horn of Prince Georges county
| feel very much elated over the success
| OF the joint hearing held here yester-
| day in the senate chamber before the
| committee on finance and ways and
| means, in connection with the bill pro-
viding for the construction Of the ma
| tional defense highway between An
napolis and the National Capital. The
bill provides the sum of s250.ooo for the
highway, and was presented by sena-
| tor Duvall and Delegate Van Horn in
| their respective bodies.
Various speakers were in favor of
| the construction Of the road via Col
lfngton and Bladensburg, where 1T
would connect with the Baltimore
Washington road. thus completing the
| third side of the triangle of good roads.
Defense Highway Routes Discussed.
There has been considerable discus
sion recently regarding the construc-
ion of a defense highway between
Annapolis and Washington, due to the
| fact that two routes have been pro-
posed. One of the routes from the Ma
| tional Capital is via Benning. Central
avenue, Capitol Heights. Largo, Halls
Davidsonville, crossing the South river
at Edsewater: thence to Camp Parole
and terminating at the state capital.
The other route, which is being favor
ably Endorsed in various quarters. is
via Bladensburg, Lanham. Buena Vista
Collington. Chesterfield, Camp Parole
and Annapolis.
"a
is the old Annapolis stage
road. and. besides being an all-dirt
route, is the most direct from the Ma
tional Capital. The route has been re-
its legislature since 1896. and it is
claimed it would be the most economic
| road to construct. This route, it is
said, would serve at least ninety square
miles. which are absolutely dependent
upon 1t as the only means of travel.
The BenningCapi Heights route, it
is said, is not quite so direct and, besides,
would require the construction of draw
bridge across the South river at Edge
water, which would cost in the vicinity of
1920. 900 The bridge would be construct
ed with the consent and would be under
the supervision Of the War Department at
Washington. and this one expense alone
would be nearly enough to construct the
entire road over the Collington route.
The bridge across the Patuxent river,
which is not more than forty feet in
width at White Marsh, on the Collington
route. would not cost more than $4,000.
The estimate of 100000 for the construc-
ton of bridge across South river was
made by the Maryland state roads COM
mission this year.
Legal Proceedings Required.
1t Is also claimed that it would be nee
essary to condemn about four miles be-
fore the road could be opened and that
| it would only serve less than thirty
square miles and would parallel an exist
ing state road about five miles distant:
Bladensburg. recently introduced in the
legislature, authorizes and directs the
state roads commission to construct an
improved modern road from the state
road at Camp Parole to the state road at
Bladensburg, the estimated cost of which
is given as s225, 900. The distance is
given as about twenty miles between the
two completed state roads. The distance
the state road is completed is 6.5 miles.
while the distance from Camp Parole
into the heart of Annapolis is about 90
miles, making total Of nearly ten miles
ton of the twenty-five miles provided for
in the bill this would make the entire dis
lance froc Washington to Annapolis
about 1913 miles, and the shortest route
In November, 1896. the first action
was taken in the Maryland assembly,
when resolution was passed author
izing and empowering a commission to
lay out direct route between the two
points. The resolution was as follows:
Resolved. That Walter Bowie. Levi
Grant. Benjamin Lowndes and Thomas
Duckett OF Prince Georges county and
Edward of Anne Arundel county and
Charles Wallace and James Williams of
the city of Annapolis be and they. or
any four of them, are hereby author
lied and empowered to examine the
situation of the country between the
city of Washington and the city of
Annapolis, and ascertain and deter
mine the direction and position OF the
nearest. most convenient and practi-
cable road that can be laid off between
the said places and report the same,
with plot thereof. to the next gem
eral assembly"
Old Stage Road Develops.
AS the result of the adoption and
passage of this resolution what is
known as the "Old Stage road" eradu-
ally developed. 1t is this same route
that is today receiving the attention of
the general public. and which was in
the minds of the legislators in the
early days. who felt that the United
States government. should participate.
The construction of boulevard be-
tween the two capitals. it is claimed,
would be of untold Importance to the
government in time of war, as well as
in times of peace. The resolutions and
acts of the Maryland assembly as far
back as 1895 and 1906 to construct this
road attest its Importance. No work
has ever been done on the "Old Stage
road" Of late years, although a number
of other roads have been constructed
under the Maryland state roads COM
mission.
After the original plat had been filed
other commissioners were authorized
to open. clear and grub" the road.
These commissioners neglected to COM
plete that portion that passes through
Prince Georges county. and the as
sembly in December. 1900, authorized
other commissioners to finish the
work; and again. in January. 1906, the
portion of the road within Prince
Georges county being still unfinished
and impossible, ito the great injury of
inhabitants of said county and the
public in general" the assembly au-
thorized it's completion by other COM
missioners. The fatality Of Incomplete
ness thus fixed upon it in the early
days has followed this old road to the