Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-01
BRIDGE APPROACH
CONFERENCE TODAY
Virginia and U. S. Officials
Seek Solution of Road
Connections Problem.
BY LESTER N. INSKEEP,
STAFF Correspondent Of The Star.

CLARENDON, Va, February IA
conference will be held this afternoon
between members of the Virginia Park
and Planning Commission and Col u. s.
Grant, Sd, director Of public buildings
and public parks of the District of Co
lumbia to arrange, if possible, a meet
ing between Federal and State officials
and the planning organizations Of
Washington and nearby Virginia.
w. L. Bragg. chairman of the Vir-
ginla commission, said today that Col.
H. ]. Shirley, chairman of the Virginia
Highway Commission. has been regu-
larry invited to meetings OF the Virginia
and the National Park and Planning
Commission.
Chairman Shirley was quoted recently
as saying that he had not received ade-
quate notices of meetings held by the
organizations on questions of road con-
nectionS with the bridge and that the
State highway department could do
nothing until 1t was able to learn what
was wanted. He said he had not had q
chance to attend the meetings and that
the State was not represented, as 1t
should have been.
Says State Was Represented.
Mr.. Bragg stated today that the State
Highway Commission was represented
at number Of the meetings. There
have been many meetings held by the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission and the Virginia Park and
Planning Commission regarding this
very problem, and at most OF them the
resident State engineer has appeared
as Col. Shirley's personal representative,
said Mr.. Bragg And I am aStonished
to learn that Col. Shirley has never
been advised as to the action taken at
these meetings"
Mr.. Bragg disputed q statement OF
Col. Shirley that he has never been
meetings of the Virginia body, to attend
II notified Col. Shirley fully week
before the last meeting" Bragg de-
clared, land I feel that Is sufficient
time for any one to either arrange to
attend or request that the meeting
be postponed until suitable arrange
mentS can be made"
While he feels that the Virginia Park
and Planning Commission was unjustly
criticized by Col Shirley in front OF
the delegations at the public hearings
on State road ALLEGATIONS in CharlottS-
vile Tuesday, Mr.. Bragg, and Frank G.
Campbell, another member OF the COM
mission, are doing everything possible
they say, to bring about an under
standing as to what the State High
way Commission will do to insure q
connection with the new bridge.
Both will attend the conference this
afternoon with Col. U. S. Grant, Sd
director of Public Buildings and Public
Parks of the District, and hope tc
formulate plans that will relieve the
apparent existing tension between the
Federal and Virginia bodies.
G. r. Taylor, representative OF the
Straight Bridge Association. anC
DR.. Samuel M. johnson, advocate Of the
roads with the bridge, attempted to
impress upon the members of the State
Highway Commission the fact that un-
less Virginia starts Immediately to con-
struct one or the other of these roads
the new bridge will have no connection
on the Virginia side when 1t Is ready
to be opened on the District side.
Anxiety on the part of the representa-.
tives of both projects became acute
when the tentative ALLEGATIONS for con-
struction by Virginia this year failed
to contain an appropriation for the
bridge connections.
The money appropriated this. yea,
does not become available until next
July, it was pointed out. and II nc
provision is made this year 1t will be
July Of 1890 before the money can be
obtained Col Grant has announced
that the bridge will be ready to open
| in March of next year, three months
before Virginia's road revenue for that
year will be available.