Evening star., 1917-01-24
KEY BRIDGE FUND
FOUND TOO SMALL
Army Engineers Urge Increase
of About $500, 900
Appropriations.
COMMITTEE HEARS PLEAS

With the complete approval OF Secre-
tary Baker of the War Department
Gen. w. NJ. Black and Col Charles kei-
ler of the Army Corps of Engineers to-
day appeared before the HOUSE COM
mittee on appropriations and adVo-
Gated an increase of about $500, 200 in the
appropriations for the construction OF the
proposed Key bridge across the Potomac
at Georgetown to replace the condemned
Aaueduct bridge.
1t was represented to the committee
that the appropriations already made
for that structure. aggregating ABOUT
s1.15o.000, were insufficient for the con-
struction of an adequate bridge even
of the simplest character and design.
and that it will cost about s1.4ol 900 to
build "even the cheapest decent brloge
tina. would meet the demands OF the
situation" The increased cost of labor
and materials. as well as the great ex-
pense involved in overcoming the topo-
graphical difficulties or building the
approaches at the Georgetown ehd are
factors in the increased estimates or
Ahe cost of such bridge as is desired
To Be Single-Deck Bridge.
The plans for the proposed bridge, as
HnallX dppToNSo py sAS NSN'SN-
War. Gen. Black and other engineer
officers. and by the commission OF hne
arts, call for a single-deck concrete
bridge, with parabolic arches and open
spandrels. crossing the river IN nNe
spans, with an additional arch oVel
Water street another arch over the
Chesapeake and Ohio canal, and wa
duct over M street, Georgetown. JUST
north of the canal the bridge Will
divide into a large one emu y.
which will be at 34th and NJ streets anu
another at 35th and Prospect streets
The length of the bridge between the
shore abutments will be about l.o4o rect,
ard the entire length OF the u arucsuI
from end to end will be about !.o1o Ieet;
The upper surface of the bridge VIII
have an extreme width of eighty feet
of which the main roadway VIII oc-
cupy ffty-six feet. with ten-foot sioe-
walks on either side.
Double Car Tracks Provided.
Provision is made for double car
tracks in the center of the roadway
with spaces eighteen feet wide on both
sides for general vehicular traffic. The
structure will have clearance OF
seventy feet above the river, as against
clearance of thirty feet in the ex-
listing Aqueduct bridge. The great
elevation is designed to meet all pos.
sible navigation demands in that par'
OF the river for many years 10 come
and obyiates entirely the need OF
draw.
The two terminals at Georgetown are
designed to meet the traffic require
ments, present and prospective, OF ootr
Virginia and District of Columbia ano
to remedy the present congestion OF
trafT1c at the NJ street end of the
present Aqueduct bridge. The natural
lay of the land permits of the execution
of the plans for the double terminal
with slight changes in the grade OF the
bridge.
CONNECTION, if desired, between the rail-
road tracks on the bridge and the tracks
of the Capital Traction Company on
street at 34th street, and the tracks
of the Washington Railway and Elec-
tric Company on Prospect street az
35th street. To reach the high ground
at Prospect street, one spur of the
bridge is carried across NJ street on
a viaduct having a headroom of sixteen
feet.
Could Overcome Grade.
There is a grade of 6s4 per cent in
100 feet in reaching the grade of
Prospect street. but that can be re-
duced hereafter in case of necessity.
Ine approach dl Prospect StTetl opens
the bridge to traffic from upper George
town and North Washington and is
expected to relieve greatly the heavy
traffic over the present Aqueduct bridge
now concentrated on NJ street.
Consideration was given by the en-
gineers to plans for a double deck
structure, the lower deck being for
street car service. but it was found
that such a structure would cost at
least S2.000,0e0 and the idea was aban-
doned in favor of single-deck bridge
of simple but dignified architecture.