Evening star., 1936-05-03
v. P. A. IMPROVES
NAT|ON'SA|RPORTS
New Projects Instituted
DaiIy-TerminaI Fields
Being Expanded.

Airway and airport projects are
now being launched throughout the
country at the rate of more than one
day with the aid of w. P. A.
financing, Administrator Harry L..
Hopkins disclosed yesterday.
Rendering second progress report
on a program that is contributing to
making the country air-minded in a
large way, Hopkins estimated 81 such
projects had been financed in the As
days between February Is and March
81, which sets a new high record.
In totals the figure rose from 4l0 to
46l projects.
Hopkins said the progress being
made indicates the delay between al
location of funds and actual start Of
construction was being reduced to a
minimum.
311 Under Construction.
Local governments had contributed
S3.271,242 toward the total financing
of S23, Ill 1886 involved in the program
to March 81, Hopkins reported. While
only 80 airwayS or airports had
actually been completed, 311 are in
various stages of construction. On
February Is there were IS projects
for which funds had been allocated
but on which work had not been
started.
Indicating the future possibilities of
the Nationwide program, the report
said that President Roosevelt had ap-
proved 1886 requests for Federal funds
totaling Sll9.74l 1894.
An important phase of the w. P. A.
program is the completion of numer-
Gus projects started by earlier work.
relief activities of the c. w. A. and
F. E. r. A.
The bulk of the aeronautical pro-
gram is being directed toward enlarg-
ing and improving existing made
quate air facilities. With the rapid
increase of traffic and airplane speed,
many communities have found it
necessary to bring their ground facili-
ties up to date.
Advised by Departments.
Not only is the approval of the
Commerce Department obtained be-
fore w. P. A. funds are released for
such work, but the advice and CO.
operation of five other governmental
agencies is being obtained This in
sures co-ordinated viewpoints of COM
merce. transportation. communication
and common defense.
AS previously reported by Hopkins,
the s168,7S1 improvement being done
at Boiling Field is the only District
of Columbia project on the program.
Maryland was down for SLIPS. 480,
the work being done on improvements
at the Baltimore Municipal Airport.
Virginia has IL small projects
underway in IL cities for a total of
Sl2l.078. They included various jobs
of grading and landscaping on ports
in Bristol. Danville, Hopewell, Lynch
burg, Parksley, Petersburg and
Roanoke
Big Fields Enlarged.
In of the II cities in the country
which supply the major portion of
passenger traffic of all kinds. large
w. P. A. airport projects, are under
construction. In the New York area,
Floyd Bennett Field is being COM
pleted and runWays are being extended
at the Newark Airport. At Phila-
delphia the municipal airport site is
being graded. Work of a similar ma
ture, as we'll as extensions. is being
done at Boston, Chicago, Cleveland
and Detroit.
The large airport at Baltimore in
Volving extensive hydraulic fill is now
under discussion for possible trans
fer to the Public Works Administra-
ton, apparently being better adapted
as public works project, rather than
as a means of providing work relief.
Large projects also are underway at
st. Paul and San Francisco and
smaller improvements include those
in more than a score of Eastern and
Southern cities.