Evening star., 1932-02-26
Grant Says Contract Has
Been Let for Gravel Road
way to Arlington Gate.
BOULEVARD CLOSING
PROTEST is FILED
Representative Treadway Asks
Change in Order Permitting
Use Only Two Days.

Steps to insure the opening of the
Arlington Memorial Bridge to daily
traffic within month were taken today
by Lieut.. Col. U. S. Grant, Sd, while
the question of opening the Mount YER
non Memorial Boulevard was still hang
ing fire.
Col. Grant. executive officer of the
Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission,
announced that contract had been
awarded Virginia firm to lay a gravel
roadway from the western terminus of
the bridge to the east gate of Arlington
Cemetery, making possible the early
opening of the bridge.
Representative Allen T Treadway of
Massachusetts yesterday filed a protest
with Col. Grant against the closing of
the Mount Vernon Highway on all DAYS
except Saturday and Sunday until some
time in May.
Change in Decision Asked.
Prompted by the publication in The
Star of a statement by Col Grant,
owing to landscape work along the new
boulevard, it has been decided not to
open this highway for traffic except on
those two days each week. Representa-
tive Treadway asked Col Grant to
change his decision on the following
grounds:
First for sentimental reasons this
road should not be closed to trafic
after Washington's birthday. The ap-
preparation was urged on the floor of
Congress in order to have this memo
rial boulevard ready for Washington's
birthday in 1892. To have the road
closed after that date in a sense could
be regarded as not keeping faith with
those responsible for the appropriation.
Second, from now on Washington
Will be crowded with visitors who are
being urged to sponsor celebrations at
nome. II these people come here and
find that the boulevard is not in use.
1t will detract both from their pleasure
and their interest in arranging various
kinds of celebrations in their home Sec
tions."
Public Convenience Question.
Referring to the reason given in the
newspapers, that traffic will interfere
with workmen, Representative Tread
way said While the use of the road
way before all details are completely
finished naturally prevents the force
from pushing the work as fast as it
otherwise could, II the road is safe
for traffic the public convenience
In this case the boulevard is so wide
that surely a portion of it could be
used by traffic while work was progress
ing on other portions o. it..
Representative Treadway also empha-
sized that one of the two days the
boulevard is to be kept open, Sunday.
is a day when Mount Vernon, through
its private ownership, is closed to public
admission.
Col. Grant signed a contract with the
Northern Virginia Construction Co. OF
Clarendon, Va, for $3,947.50 to place
temporary gravel surfacing on the
Memorial avenue, running from Bound
ary Channel on the Virginia shore, up
to the east gate of Arlington National
Cemetery, where the memorial entrance
will be constructed, forming the vest
ern terminus of the bridge develop
ment The contractor is being given
20 days in which to complete the job,
as the future highway has already been
graded and the temporary surfacing of
gravel can readily be placed upon it.
Bridge Opening Prospect.
When this work is done, the public
will be able to travel across the Arling-
ton Memorial Bridge and connect with
with the Virginia road system on the
at the east wall of Arlington National
Cemetery. This means that the
Arlington Memorial Bridge can then
be permanently opened to the public.
Up to this time, the bridge has been
closed, except on holidays and week
ends Heretofore, the newly graded
right-of-way Tor the future Memorial
avenue has been impossible. Later
Memorial avenue will be permanently
surfaced.
Col. Grant took another step today in
the fulfillment of the bridge program,
by calling for bids, which will be opened
at Room 1915, Navy Building at IL
a m, March 8, for furnishing labor and
materials for the roadway in the
vicinity of the Ericsson Memorial This
highway, now partly completed, will
create a new circle with the Ericsson
Memorial as its center. and permit use
of the underpaSS highway on the Wash
ington shore of the Potomac.
Maj. D. H. Gillette, assistant execu-
tive officer of the Arlington Memorial
Bridge Commission, and John L. Nagle,
designing engineer of the bridge, were
in New York City today, attending a
meeting of the Fine Arts Commission
there. They are conferring with the
architects of the bridge, McKim, Meade
& White. One of the big problems now
the architects is the treat
ment to be given the Columbia Island
DEVELOPMENT