Evening star., 1934-01-04
$2,567,09O IS SET
ASIDE IN BUDGET
TOREPA|R STREETS
Sum Is Nearly 100000 Less
Than Provided in Act of
1884.
CALVERT STREET BRIDGE
PROJECT GETS $675,O00
Largest Single Item Is $75O,OO0
for Improvements to
Highways.

The 1895 District budget provides f0r
an appropriation in all of s2.567 900
for Improvements and repairs to Streets
or nearly s4OO 900 less than was made
available under the terms OF the 1884
act.
This comparison does not take into
account the work being done this fls-
cal year under the grant OF Sl,9l8,4l6
to the District from the Public WORKS
Administration for improvements 10
Federal highways here as part OF
the national program for relief OF the
unemployed
Out OF the Districts gasoline tax
revenues would be appropriated sum
of So ,296,550, to be Immediately avail
able upon enactment Of the budget
measure, for street and road improve
ments.
S6s5,000 for Bridge.
This item in itself compares with
gasoline tax appropriation OF ST.
237 400 made last year. which was in
creased to the extent of 81 1.158, $40 in
recent months by the director OF the
Bureau of the Budget, who was author
| lied by Congress to permit use of sur
plus gasoline tax funds up to 81 SOC, 600.
The new supply bill calls for use OF
s675 900 for completion of the new Call
vert Street Bridge over Rock Creek,
during the fiscal year beginning next
July l. Tie initial sum of S575,000
! for this span was provided out of the
gasoline tax surplus under the terms
of the 1884 appropriation act. Plans
for the structure were approved Just
recently by the District Commissioners
@-,4 ,aI- 20 rN1oR
the project under contract before the
end Of this month.
The special item for starting the
bridge construction was made available
by the LIST Congress after Engineer
Commissioner John c. Gotwals testi-
fled before members of Congress to the
dangerous condition of the present
bridge.
S750,000 for Streets.
One of the largest single items in
the 1885 bill for highway Improvements
is a sum of s750000 for current work
of repairs to streets. avenues, roads
and alleys, including the reconditioning
of gravel streets. For the present year
Congress appropriated a sum OF but
S500,000 for this class of highway work,
but this was raised to S775,000 with
the addition Of sum from the gaso-
line tax surplus as approved by the di-
rector of the Bureau of the Budget.
Other items in this section OF the
1895 measure are:
For grading streets, alleys and roads,
including construction Of necessary cul-
vertS and retaining walls, $4,000. The
sum is the same as that appropriated
for the current year.
For surfacing block pavements and
paving the unpaved center strips of
paved roadways, $4,000. The sum in
the 1884 act was $4,000.
Road Changes Provided.
For minor changes in roadway and
sidewalks on plans to be approved by
the District Commissioners to facilitate
vehicular and pedestrian traffic, $4,000.
For construction of curbs and gut
ters, or concrete shoulders in connec-
tion with all forms of macadam road
ways and the resuIfacing or replace
ment OF the base of roadways, s225, 900.
For these purposes Congress appr0prl-
ated last year s175,o ,ooo but this sum
use of the gasoline surplus funds.
For surfacing or replacement Of pave
ated for this year was s375 900. but this
was boosted to s445,000 by the use OF
the gasoline tax surplus.
The measure also carries an item of
S150,000 for paving of roadways under
the assessment and permit system and
for street improvements around public
reservations. The item is the same
as that for the current year.
A fund of $4,000 would be made
available for extension or opening,
widening or Strengthening Of streets.
The sum for this work this year was
fixed by Congress at $4,000.
The measure would continue the ban,
written into the supply bill of 1884,
against operating of the testing labora-
tory for the Highway Department.
The budget provides for an appro-
priation of sol 900 for the work of the
trees and parkings division, this being
an increase of $500 over the apppro-
priation for the current year
The Highway Department budget
makes an accounting for the expendi-
ture of the S1,918,416 for street i'm
provements performed under the grant
to the District from the Public Works
Administration, but this was not set
up as a charge against the District
revenues.