Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-31
SOUTHERLY ROUTE
TOBR|DGE FAvORED
Virginia State Highway Body
Says "Straight- TO- Bridge"
:. Way Is County Affair.

Stepping into the long standing
controversy in Arlington County. Va,
over location Of the Memorial Bridge
boulevard, the Virginia State highway
commission has thrown its support to
the southerly route proposed by the
Lee boulevard supporters and, at the
same time, has characterized as a
purely county proposition the COM
petitive "straight-to-theb bridge" route.
This is the gist of q statement of
the commissions decision contained
in a letter to the boards Of super.
visors of Arlington and Fairfax Coun'
tics, and made public yesterday eve.
ming at a special meeting of the Ar
alington County supervisors in the
icounty courthouse.
4 Two Recommendations.
The State commission made two
recommendations, as follows:
81. That the counties of Fairfax
land Arlington take over and construct
las soon as they can conveniently 90
30 the route known as the straight
tothe bridge route.
"2. That the State Highway Com
/. mission in cooperation with the STATE
Conservation and Development Conn.,
mission, take over the road known as
1.-The boulevard route, with such changes
las made by our engineers, and as soon
aas they can be empowered by the
LEGISLATURE to do so, provided the
srights of way on this road are
FURNISHED free Of cost to the commits
!; sion and the other areas for park pur.
.looses that were offered to he decided
Ito the Commission on Conservation
and Development, along with other
!. work and materials promised at the
!. hearing in Arlington courthouse"
!. The letter explained that these
Recommendation were decided on
latter survey Of various routes ap-
.rproaching the new Memorial Bridge,
las requested by the Arlington County
i supervisors. The letter, signed by ii.
&c. Shirley. chairman OF the commits.
..sion, asked the supervisors to advise
Sine in regard to this matter, so that
B faction can be taken by the State High.
gway Commission to carry out the
I recommendations as above"
Il Sees Victory I'm Decision.
I. The Arlington supervisors failed to
X take any action at last nights meet
fling, William j. Ingram, supervisor
sfron Arlington district. made motion
athat the recommendations of the
dhighway commission be adopted, but
,Rit died for lack of a second. Several
.amonths ago the supervisors adopted
resolution indoraing the straight-to-
route, but they have taken
.sno formal action to indicate approval
aof the Lee Boulevard route.
II DIR. S. M. Johnson, president OF the
sNational Boulevard Association and
Header in the fight to obtain State ap-
sproval for the southerly route, which
! swings southwark just west of Airing
ston Cemetery and traverses generally
4 undeveloped territory to junction
with the Leesburg pike at Fort
gBuffalo, near Falls Church, regards
!. the decision of the highway commits
Ision as complete victory for the Lee
i boulevard proponents.
!. He issued a statement today declar-
ing that valuable time has been lost
!; through the opposition to our plans,
Z but we entertain only kindly feelings
/ toward the leaders Of the straight-to'
Z the-bridge movement" The state
1 ment continues:
!. Our program Is cooperation. not
competition. We will work for direct
5 pavement giving the people Of Falls
4 Church, Ballston and Clarendon direct
I access to Washington via the new
Memorial Bridge.
I from Fort Myer to the bridge is over
afuli cooperation of the straight-to-
,athe-bridge group in our efforts to build
this section, which we plan to have
ready for use by March, 1880. when
{ the bridge is to be opened to traffic.
!. This two.mile section Is to be the
central pavement, so feet wide, and as
nearly perfect as engineering skill can
make it; for 1t is the beginning of
what will be the most magnificent
i boulevard in the world, eclipsing even
!. the famous boulevards that have
SERVED to make Paris world capital
land the mecca Of tourists from every
I corner Of the globe"
!: Controversy Over Routes.
4 Announcement by the Lee Highway
Il Assooiation more than a year ago that
1T had selected the southerly route for
its proposed 200-foot boulevard through
Arlington County to the new bridge
started bitter controversy that has
continued to the present. The south
+ erly route studiously avoids the thick
ly settled parts of the county and resi-
dents Of Ballston and Clarendon i'm.
mediately were up in arms over the
!; prospect of having no adequate con.
nection with the new bridge.
II A Bridge Boulevard
Wao OA60AlLS0 W
paign for construction by the State
.spf a direct road from the bridge
.through Bailston and Clarendon to
'.Falls Church. Both the Lee Boule-
ward interests and the direct route ad.
..vocates have sought increasingly to
obtain approval of the State Highway
I. Commission on their respective routes,
!. it being realized that the State at this
time could take over but one of them.
81 The controversy was climaXed by
IN heated hearing in the Arlington
,.Eounty courthouse some weeks ago,
lat which proponents of both routes
.sahad their say before Chairman Shirley
land other members of the highway
..conmission.
= The letter of yesterday apparently
writes finis to the fight for State sup
port, at least in so far as the Lee
boulevard people are concerned. II
is known that the decision of the
commission is a sharp dis
appointment to those who had hoped
10 have the State build a direct road,
land II was expected today that the
latitude OF the straight-to-the-bridge
supporters would become publicly
Shown at meetings to be held later for
sdiscussion of the States announce
ament.
NICARAGUA REBEL CHIEF