Evening star., 1933-07-09
s3,4OO,0)D ROAD
PROGRAM PLANNED
Funds Declared Available for
Maryland Projects This
Summer.
BY JACK ALLEN,
STAFF Correspondent Of The Star

BY JACK ALLEN,
STAFF Correspondent Of The Star.
BALTIMORE, Md, July 8.-Highway
improvements costing approximately
$3,4O000O will be carried out by the
State Roads Commission in Southern
Maryland on the Eastern Shore and In
the vicinity of Baltimore City this Sum-
mer with funds now definitely available.
it was announced by officials of the
commission here today.
1t was also learned that the road body
intends to push requests for substantial
grants and loans from Federal recovery
act funds in an effort to begin work on
the proposed super-highWay from
Washington to Baltimore and the Penn
sylvania and Delaware State lines and
on the belt-line highway around Balti-
more City.
The commission, in addition is study
ing other highway widening projects IN
the various sections of the State with
the expectation of building them this
Summer or during the coming Fall and
further hopes to be able to build many
feeder" roads leading from rural areas
to main highways.
Westminster Road Planned.
The commission also will urge the
Improvement of the highway from Get
tysburg to Washington City by way OF
Frederick as Federal project. II the
highway from Gettysburg to Washing
ton is improved, the commission INTENDS
to build link of three miles at Cooks
vile on the State road to connect West
minister with the highway
1r in
ern Maryland this Summer include the
widening with concrete shoulders Of the
main highway from LeonardtoWn to st.
MaryS City.
In the Baltimore area the Phila-
delphia road will be widened to Sc feet
from the Baltimore City limits
miles north to Golden Ring and with
30-foot paving and two 8-foot gravel
shoulders from Golden Ring to Aber-
deem, the Bel Air road will be improved
with 3O-foot paving and two 8-foot
gravel shoulders from Baltimore City
limits to Bel Air. while the Baltimore
Annapolis Boulevard will be adequately
Widened for a distance Of miles
from the Baltimore City limits to
Lipins Corner.
Plans Virtually Completed.
Plans for all of the improvements
with the exception of the work on the
Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard are viz
tually completed and can be started
within two or three weeks, it was said.
Engineering plans on the Baltimore
Annapolis road are still being perfected
and public hearings are to be held upon
the exact construction plan to be rec
commended by the roads commission be-
fore this project is advertised.
Officials said that the commission
will not be able to consider plans or
locations for feeder roads for the next
month or two. but will take up the loca-
tion of such roads, county by county,
as soon as possible.
Construction of the feeder" roads
will be on fair apportionment between
the various counties and communities
when the l933-34 highway program is
considered. it was explained.
The commission in a statement issued
today explained that the s4,000,000
State Roads Commission certificate is
sue authorized by the State Legislature
and now awaiting the signature OF Gov.
Ritchie before issuance would provide
funds for Improvements to the main
arterial highway system of the State,
particularly leading north from Baltl-
more, and would furnish fund for new
highway construction this year.
e0cral uHuS LApcCtCu'
In addition to this, Maryland will re-
ceive S3564, SGT of funds for highway
construction made available under the
public works bill, and the commission
also hopes to receive a share OF the
$4,000 OOO. 600 Federal fund set aside for
80 per cent grants and 10 per cent loans
to States, municipalities and counties
for public projects that can be built
promptly to increase employment and
the sale of materials.
The statement said that following the
sale of the 81 4,0000 900 certificate issue
the commission plans to ask Federal
grant of three-eights OF S4.0O0.0O0. or
81 500 900, for additional highway con-
struction in Maryland at this time.
The projects to be financed from the
$4,000 600 900 Federal fund will not DC
distributed entirely on a State o" popu-
lation basis, it was said, but v ii also
be considered on a basis of the relative
merit of the projects. viewed from the
standpoint of both general national or
sectional and local public service and
need.
Consequently Marylands location. ad-
tacent to the National Capital and be-
tween Washington and the States and
cities of the Atlantic Seaboard and New
England, and the fact that the man
highways from Washington cross the
State give Maryland an extremely
strategic position in connection with
the highway projects of national char
acter, it was declared.
Would Benefit Through Traffic.
The superhighway from Washington
will be largely for the benefit Of through
traffic flowing between the National
Capital and the North and West. Off
cials said. and should be considered as
q national project, to be financed to
the fullest extent possible from the
Federal funds available under the pub
lie works bill.
The route settled upon by the COM
mission would follow through Silver
Spring Burtonsville, Oakland Mills and
Ellicott City into the belt line high
way around Baltimore and thence on
northward to the Pennsylvania and
Delaware State lines. 1t would cost
approximately S11 435 900. A cutoff
from Oakland Mills through Leicester
would afford access to the downtown
section Of Baltimore.
The proposed belt-line highway
around Baltimore would be 45l2 miles
in length and will cost approximately
So 100, 900. Constructed as near the
city limits as existing residential de-
velopmentS permit, it would afford easy
connection between all of the arterial
highways entering Baltimore and would
so enable through traffic from any
route to shift to any other route with
out adding to congestion in the city
itself.
Planned in Five Units.
The proposed belt-line route has
been planned in five units, any lone Of
which could be constructed at any time
and still maintain the general plan.
Members of the commission said that
while the construc ion and placing OF
the highway in actual use is of no i'm
mediate Importance. it Is of vital i'm