Evening star., 1934-12-14
GRAVELLY POINT
START OBE ASKED
j. s. ENGINEER
Mai. Crawford Drawing Up
Request for Fund for
New Airport.
ARMY BOARD EXPECTED
TO PASS ON DRAFT
Proposal Made to Dredge Close
to East Potomac Park to Aid
Aquatic Sports.

The United States engineer Office
today was drawing up a formal re-
quest for funds to be submitted to the
Public Works Administration for crea-
ton of an airport for Washington at
Gravelly Point.
Late today Maj Robert W. Craw-
ford, District Army engineer for the
War Department for the Washington
area, proposed to go over a draft of
the request, which will be presented
later to Maj. Gen. Edward M. Mark
ham, chief of Army engineers, for
forwarding to Secretary Ickes, the
Public Works administrator.
Inasmuch as Gen. Markham is a
member of the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, which has
consistently favored the development
of Gravelly Point as an airport, little
difhculty is anticipated in forwarding
the request through official channels.
Cost Placed at S2,3O0,000.
The cost of development of mod
ern airport at Gravelly Point is placed
at S2,300,00O. Creation of an airport
at that point is favored by President
Roosevelt. Secretary Ickes and other
Government authorities.
c. Marshall Finnan, superintendent
of the National Capital Parks, said
today if the United States Engineer
Office is to supervise dredging in the
Gravelly Point area, he hopes that
the engineers will dredge close to East
Potomac Park to improve aquatic
sports possibilities there. The Po-
ton1ac River adjacent to East Po-
tomac Park is so shallow, said the
park chief, that dredging will benefit
the situation materially. He pointed
out that at the present time marine
growth is too close inShore.
AS pollution of the Potomac River
diminishes. the waterway will become
increasingly an aquatic playground.
said Mr.. Finnan. If the depth is in
creased near East Potomac Park, all
types of speedboats can be used He
recalled that during the President s
Cup Regatta, propellers of craft be-
came fouled in the marine grovths
then existing.
Three Major Phases.
Plans of the Army engineers call
for the division of the Gravelly Point
Airport project into three major
phases. the first of which already Is
partially completed as result of work
on the Mount Vernon Boulevard and
preparatory work on the filling CT the
proposed airport site
The three phases and the prelimi-
nary estimates of cost are as follows:
First, rough preliminary work of pre-
pairing the field, 1923 900; second,
grading, drainage and completion of
the landing area for flying operations.
$780, third, construction of build
ings and equipment. $597, 900
These estimates are based upon the
construction of a first unit which it
is believed will meet all the present
airport needs of the Capital. The unit
includes 266 acres, providing all-direc-
ton runways with a minimum length
of 1000 feet. The unit cost per acre
is estimated at $3.50, as compared
with an estimated cost of S17.4O0 per
acre for a similar development at
Washington Airport, including a pur-
chase price of 81 100000 for the pres
ent property.
Possible Expansion 204 Acres.
The maximum possible expansion
at Washington Airport, it has been
pointed out, would be 204 acres At
Gravelly Point the practicable limit
OF expansion is 606 acres.
Army estimates for the rough pre-
liminary work of preparing the field
include $95.000 for $500 feet of
levees; S520000 for the dredging from
the river of 6,5OO,OO0 cubic yards of
material; $4,000 for 4.8O0 feet of
rip-rap wall; 100000 for the pur-
chase of 43.5 acres of land along the
Virginia shore. and 100000 for 20O,-
600 cubic yards of dry excavation
and fill in connection with the prep
aration of the solid ground along
the shore.
OF this first phase some of the
preliminary work has been accom-
pished. This includes the acquisi-
tion of large portion of the land
required along the Virginia shore, as
part Of the boulevard parkway, and
the construction of a large portion
of the leevees required for holding
the dredgings from the river bottom.
The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission again will take
up the problem of a suitable airport
for Washington, when it meets a week
from today. Five years ago the COM
mission recommended the develop
ment of Gravelly Point.