Evening star., 1926-12-02
ARLINGTON MAKES
UNITED ROAD PLEA
fractional Differences Laid
Aside at Charlottesville
! Meeting.
By a statt Correspondent Of The star.

1f1AhLO1 E<C lLLE1, d. DcSCA'
Der 2.-Snubbed in the preliminary
ALLEGATION of State road building funds,
Arlington County temporarily swept
aside smoldering factiona1 differences
over proposed boulevards of the tu-
ture to present a united front before
the state Highway Commission mere
this morning in an appeal for improve
nent and maintenance of existing
artertal thoroughfares in the county.
The delegation urged the commission
to reconsider it's preliminary appro'
pria,fon SO as to relieve serious con-
ditions along three highways vital to
the people of all northern Virginia
and the District of Columbia. The
matter of great new boulevard from
Memorial Bridge to the Shenandoah n
National Park was left to the future.
The commissioners were asked to
straiehten and widen the existing Lee
Highway from Rosslyn to point :
miles east Of Falls Church: to straight
en- the jefferson Davis boulevard
which takes the lower route from
Highway Bridge to Alexandra, ana 10
pave and maintain whatever sectlon
of the thoroughfare remains unim-
Droved; and finally to build and main
across country from Alexandra to
Chain E. ige.
Inspection Is Invited.
As to the proposed Lee boulevard
sweeping through open country from
Columbia Highlands to Falls Church,
end the "straight-to-the bridge prop
osition, which would reach the
same destination via Clarendon and
Rallston. the champions OF hoth
routes invited the commission to nave
a delegation of it's own go over hoth
routes and determine the merits OF
the two routes.
The state Highway Commission
convened here this morning to hear
netitions for changes in the road fund
ALLEGATION it has provided for the dis
trict of Alexa ndria, Leesburg and Cul-
peper. Arlington County. together
with Fairfax County and II others, ls
included in the socalled Culpeper dis
trict. In setting aside appropriations
for the various State highway sys-
TENS the commission neglected to
make a single appropriation for Ar.
lington County. This was the second
successive year that Arlington county
has failed to receive nnanclal nelp
from the commission.
State Senator Ball and District At.
tornev William c. Cloth represented
the county as whole. while Ashton
, Jones and l.. c. McNemar represented
the Straight to the Bridge Assocla-
tion. and w. S. Hoge, the Lee High
vay Association. Mr.. Cloth. VINO
smoke in the name of all Arlington
County. dwelt entirely upon the need
for improving the three roads men
toned and referred to the boulevard
project only casually.
Now Main Thoroughfare.
Mr.. Cloth pointed out that the Lee
highway at the present time is the
main traffic thoroughfare for motor
Ssts going to and from the National
Eanital. That section of the road
around Cherrvdale, he said, is nothing
short of a series of death curves
which already has taken a toll In
human life, not to mention ire
nendous property damage resulting
from collisions and other accidents
that occur weekly on the sharp
bends. Furthermore, he said, the
Lee highway has long since outgroWn
the 1e-foot pavement that now exists,
and that II should be widened without
DELAY as pure measure of safety.
The Jefferson Davis boulevard ls
the most popular and shortest route
from Washington to Alexandra. 1t
is virtually parallel with the railroad
tracks from Highway Bridge 10 the
Potomac yards at Alexandria. That
section nearest Washington Is still
rough cobbestone, while at the othef
end motorists must make a danger
Gus and sharp curve directly onto
the bridge spanning the Potomac
wards. The approach to this bridge,
Mr.. Cloth said, should he changed
at the earliest possible moment before
a serious accident adds to the already
heavy toll of human lives Sacrihced
by just such abrupt curves.
Completion of the Glebe road, Mr.
Cloth concluded. is essential to the
highway system of Arlington County
Roughly sketched this road takes
course from Alexa ndria across coun-
try to the Lee Highway. crosses that
thoroughfare some distance above
Cherrvdale and reaches the Chain
Bridge via the Washington Golf and
Country Club. A great deal of this
highway Is already paved. but If its
entire extent were improved and main
tanned by the State it would save the
residents of Arlington County the
necessity of making A circuitous jour
ney through part Of the District of
Columbia to go from one part of the
county to another.
Demands Of Future.
Mr. Cloth said in closing that the
future growth of Arlington County
win soon demand the construction of
a great boulevard connecting with the
Memorial Bridge. and he urged the
commission to take this into consid-
GRAFTON for action later.
Mr.. MCNemar presented the need
for such a boulevard in brief ad
dress. He declared that not many
more wears would pass when the traf-
f1c of Arlington County would reach
proportions which would demand Al
least one such highway. He claims
that two routes are proposed at the
present time and that both have mer
it's peculiarly their own. Whether
both would be necessary eventually
must remain to be seen, but he urged
the commission to send engineers 20
Arlington County to inspect the two
routes and determine which should
receive the support of the commission
first.
Mr.. Mc\emar then handed the com
mission a petition from the Straight
to.the- Bridge Boulevard Association.
setting forth the merits or the route
through Clarendon and Ballston. In
this petition ii was pointed out that
this route is mot only the most direct
and. consequently. the shortest practi
cal route but also the most economi-
cal" Furthermore. it was eontended
II would serve more residents OF
Arlington County than any similar
route.
Wide Route Desired.
The petition pointed out that il would
be desira BILE to provide right of way
at least so feet wide and possibly 100
feet. and that since 1t was common
Lrouledee that the Memorial Bridge
- ha. 1921 action