Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-03-02
"OLD STAGE ROAD
IS FAVORED ROUTE
Maryland Legislators Hear Speak
ers Urge National Defense
Highway.
ADVOCATE THIRD SIDE
OF Triangle be Built---State Senator
Duvall and Delegate Van Horn
Elated Over Success of
Hearing.

State Senator Frank NJ. Duyall OF
Anne Arundel county. and Delegate r
Lee Van Horn. OF Prince Georges
county. feel verv much elated over the
/ success OF the Joint hearing on Tues
day in the Senate Chamber before the
Committee on Finance and Ways and
Means, in connection with the bin pro-
nding FOR the construction OF the ma
ticnal defense highway between this
eity and the National Capital.
The bill provides the sum of $3.50,
000 for the highway. and was present
ed By Senator Duvall and Delegate
Van Horn in their respective bodies
Various speakers were in favor of the
construction Of the road via Collington
and Bladensburg. where il would con
meet with the Baltimore Washington
road. thus completing the third side ol
the triangle of good roads
There has been considerable discus
sion recently regarding the construc-
tion Of OF a defense highway between
Annapolis and Washington due to the
fact that the two routes have been
proposed One Of the routes from the
National Capital is via Benning. Cen
tral avanue Capital Heights. Largo
ialis. DaVidsonville. crossing South
river at Edgewater; thence to Camp
Parole and terminating at the State
capital Tie other route which is
being favorably endorsed in various
quarters is via Bladensbug, Lanham
Buena Vista, Collington Chesterfield
Camp Parole and Annapolis
The latter route is urged because it
is the old Washington Annapolis stage
road and besides, being an all-dirt
route is the most direct from the Ma
tional Capital The route has been
repeatedly recognized by the State and
its legislature since 1896. and it is
is claimed it would be the most eco
monte road 10 construct. This route
il is said, would serve at least ninety
square miles. which are absolutely Ae-
pendent upan it as the only means
Of travel.
The Benung- Capital Heights route
it is said. is not quite so direct. be-
sides would require the construction
Of draWbridge across South river at
Edgewater, which would cost in the
vicinity Of 100000 The bridge would
be constructed with the consent and
would be under the supervision Of the
War Department. at Washington. and
this one expense alone would be near
ly enough to construct the entire road
over the Collington route. The bridge
acros the PatuXent-river. which is not
more than forty feet in width at White
Marsh on the Collirgton route, would
not cost mere than $4,000 The esti-
mate of $220 600 for the construction
of q bridge across South river was
made by he Maryland State Roads
Commission this wear
Il is also claimed that it would be
necessary TO condemn about four miles
before the road could be opened and
that il would only serve less than thir-
" square miles, and would parallel
an existing state road about i've miles
distant The bill for the route via
Conmgton and Bladensburg. recently
Introduced in the Legislature. author
izes and directs the State Roads Com
mission 20 construct an improved mod
ern road from the state read at Camp
Parole to me state road at Bladens-
burg he estimated cost of which is
given as S225, GOO The distance is
given as about twenty miles between
the two completed state roads.
The distance from Washington to
| Baltimore. where the state road is com
| pleted. is 6.5 miles. while the distance
from Camp Parole into the heart OF
4 .s1, y
( q total oi nearly ten miles aow iu ideal
/ shape Nith the construction OF The
twenty-five miles provided for in the
4 bill this would make the entire dis.
tance from Washington to Annapolis
about s3 s miles. and the shortest route
/ between the two capitals.
In November. 1896. he first action
as taken in the Maryland Assembly
4 when q resolution was passed. lthor
/ izing and empowering a commission tc
I lay ont a direct route between the two
points,As a result of the adoption and
passage OF this resolution what is now
known as the ''0ld Stage Road" grad
/ ally developed 1t is this same route
that is today receiving the attenior
! OF he general public, and which was ii
/ tlle min6s of the legislators in the esr
/ iy days. VINO felt that the United State,
i government should participate Til,
I construction Of a boulevard hetweel
/ the two capitals, il is claimed. woal,
+ be Of untold importance 10 the gov
I ernment ia time of war. as well as il
times Of peace. The resoluti ms an,
acts of Assembly of Maryland as IA
hack as I79e and 1906 10 constr6-t II
road attest its Importance.
After hte original plat had beel
fled other commissioners we're au
( th0rizeG 70 open. clear and grub" III
road These coumiss .one-s negloctel
TO 70 complete fhat norton that pass
/ -eS through Prince Georses countv.an
the Assembly, in December. 1900. au
4 tharized other commissioners to fnisi
lhe work, and again in January. lS0t
the portion OF the road within Primo