Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-12
S1,0DO,0lO HIGHWAY
PROGRAM SOUGHT
Extensive Road Improvement
Is Voted by County
Commissioners.
BY WILLIAM J. NHEATIEY,
Staff Correspondent CT The Star.


ROCKVILLE, Md, March I'm
provement of the highway system of
Montgomery County during the current
year to the extent of nearly 81 100000
outlay is to be sought from the present
session of the Maryland Legislature, AS
result of resolutions passed today by
The board of county commissioners in
session here. The proposed improve
ments will give the county one of the
most complete networks of hard-surface
highways of any county in the State.
and the new construction, for the most
part, If the Legislature approves, viii
be principally in the upper county al
though approximately 100000 will be
spent in the metropolitan district adj
Jacent to the Capital City for the laying
out OF the new routes and the improve
ment of other continuous routes be-
tween the Capital City and Ba!tircore.
In view of the fact that Gov. Albert
c. Ritchie plans to provide for the i'm
provement Of the Columbia pike, be-
tween White Oak and Laurel, in his
proposed $4,000000 State road program,
the county commissioners have taken
the money which they originally pro-
posed to allocate to this thoroughfare
and will put in connecting links which
will provide a new improved highway
between the Capital City and Baltimore
by way of Laytonsvillc. When COM
pleted. the Columbia pike road will pro-
vide a direct route from the Baltimore
Washington Boulevard at Laurel to
White Oak ON the ColesYille road TO
Silver Spring, where It will connect
with the new eaSt-WeSt suburban high
way between that place and Bethesda,
and will furnish direct route to the
al nitx hu IF GiyfCpnth
Provision also is made for The construc-
ton of the underpass to carry the now
Silver Spring Bethesda highway under
the Baltimore e. Ohio Railroad tracks.
Passage of Bills Assured.
Speaker E. Brooke Lee of Silver
Spring said that bills would be intro
duced in the Legislature this week to
carry out the recommendations OF the
county commissioners as approved in
the resolutions passed today, and he
predicted that they would be passed by
the lower house, over which he pre-
sides. and their fate then would be left
in the Senate with Senator Eugene
Jones of Kensington, who represents
Montgomery County in the upper mouse
of the Legislature.
The proposed road bond issues, to-
gether with those for the courthouse
and Embarrassing eliminations in the
county. he said, would bring the amount
to be provided at this session up to ST.
100000, provided. of course, that they
were able to get them through the Sem
ate. Speaker Lee also pointed out that
the bond issues of the current session,
as at present planned including the
school bond issues and the two court
house issues, would bring the total
county indebtedness to $6,000,000. This
amount. he continued, is equivalent to
TO per cent of the countys $80000,O00
taxable basis. adding that tax author
tiles are united in saying that po-
litical subdivision can conservatively
bond itself to the limit of 10 per cent
of the taxable basis.
Mai Lee said that these figures do
not take into account the bonds OF the
Washington Suburban Sanitary Com
mission for water and sewer construc-
ton, which are guaranteed by both
Montgomery and Prince Georges Coun-
ties. These are paid for from the 'front.'
foot assessment levy against the i'm
proved sections of the county. All sink
ing fund requirements on the bonds TO
date have been met by the front foot
tax, he pointed out.
New Road Program.
The new program as laid down today
BY the commissioners, and which has
the approval of the Montgomery County
delegation in the lower house, but
which Speaker Lee said had not yet
been approved by Senator Jones, fol-
lows:
Concrete road from Olney to lay
louisville, the proposed new route be-
tween Baltimore and Washington, $780,
900: macadam road from Purdum to
Lewisdale, $25 5000; macadam road from
end of 1928 macadam construction from
Old Germantown toward Jacksonville.
$4,000; macadam road from end of
1928 macadam construction. running
westerly from the Germantown railroad