Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-19
SCOPE OF BRIDGE
WORK CURTA|LED
White House Meeting on
Arlington Span Seeks to
Offset Excess Costs.

Because the construction work on the
| Arlington Memorial Bridge will cost ap-
proximately $78O 600 in excess Of the
amount originally anticipated, 1t was
decided at meeting at the White
| House today of the Arlington Memorial
| Bridge Commission to reduce somewhat
the scope of the remainder OF the
project.
President Hoover, who is chairman OF
the commission, was informed by Lieut.
| Col. U. S. Grant, Sd, executive oHlcer
of the commission, who has been per
sonnally IN charge of the construction
| that the project is now in its sixth year.
Mr.. Hoover was informed that the
bridge would be opened for public use
early next Winter.
Col. Grant informed Mr.. Hoover con-
struction difficulties were encountered
| at an early stage of the bridge building
in the form of a need of an underpaSS
under both the bridge proper ana the
| parkway approach. Also that Dotn tne
main bridge and the boundary cnannel
bridge had to be increased IN nelgn .I
! for structural advantages ana the
granite voussoirs had to be increased IN
| thickness for architectural reasons.
Groups Tor fyIOns.
Equestrian groups were substituted Tor
! pylons at the east end so as 10 aVolu
| competition with the Lincoln Memo
rial. Unexpected foundation condltlons
under the boundary channel prl1ge
were encountered. Inese anu snla,Sa
changes have resulted in an increase
| in the cost in the amount OF $4,544'OoO
above the original estimates.
ON the other hand, some OF the orig
| inal items have been eliminated ana on
others economies have permitted say
| inos both of which have reduced the
anparent excess of $3,763 900, so that
| at present the net result is that there
! is a prospective excess cost OF apouI
$78O 900, if the remaining work is car
ried to completion in strict accordance
with the original estimates.
Col. Grant produced photostatic cost
sheets and blue prints of what has been
done and what can be done to keep the
cost within the authorized amount by
reducing this scale or of eliminating
entirely certain features which do not
seem to be essential to the project as
| whole.
Columbia Island Columns.
The Presidents attention was directed
to the making of detail design Tor the
of which is to represent the North ana
the other one the South. The Fine Arts
Commission has recommended the addi-
ton of fluting on the columns, which
extra feature, Col. Grant pointed out,
, would involve cost of $4,000 In ex-
cess of the approved estimate for these
columns.
AS a means of making savings in the
completion of the bridge, the following
suggestions were offered: Omission OF
statues on the boundary channel bridge
estimated to cost $4,000, omission OF
statues on the main bridge estimated
to cost 1892 1000, substitution of plant
ing for the balustrade on Columbia
Island estimated to cost $400, 900, and
the omission of statues on Columbia
Island to cost 100000.
Further study will be made before the
reduction details are worked out.
Besides the members of the Memorial
Commission, which is composed of the
President and Vice President, the Speak
er of the House and the chairmen of
the Senate and House Committees on
Public Buildings and Grounds and Col
Grant, there was present at today's
meeting Charles Moore, chairman Of the
Commission Of Fine ANl&