Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-11-03
Capital Airport
Will 0utrank
New york's
Cost to Be Kept Low
Due to Shallow Fill
At GroveIIy Point

Inc proposed washington Ma.
tional Airport at Gravelly Point for
which engineering studies now are
being completed by group of four
Federal agencies, will outrank even
the new s28.oOo,OOo New York Air
port at North Beach, a study of pre-
liminary plans showed today.
Like the North Beach airport, the
Washington National Airport will be
constructed largely on made ground.
The heavy cost of the New York
project was due largely to the fact
that it involved filling in deep wa
ter. Although only 35l acres at
North Beach were made by filling,
a total Of 100000 900 cubic feet Of
fill was required.
Virtually all preliminary arrange
ments for the Gravelly Point Job
have been completed except the
actual division of work among the
Army Corps of Engineers. which
will be In charge of dredging opera
tons, and the Public Works Admin
istration and Works Progress Ad.
ministration, it was learned today.
The Civil Aeronautics Authority,
fourth agency concerned, is in
charge of the aeronautical engineer.
ing detail.
Actual Filing Delayed.
Although Public Works Admins
traitor Ickes has announced that
funds have been earmarked for the
project, the actual filing of the for
NAL application still is being delayed
pending completion of the last de-
tails of the engineering phase Of
the project. No cost estimate has
yet been announced on the basis
of the engineering work so far COM
pleted.
The total area of the North Beach
airport is ssh acres, as compared
with more than 700 acres in the ini-
tial Gravelly Point unit This pro-
vides four runWays ranging in
length from 5000 feet to a minimum
of 1888 feet. Gravelly Point plans
call for the same number of run
ways, to be doubled later, with a
minimum length of $500 feet and q
maximum length of 1000 feet.
The Gravelly Point site outranks
that of virtually every major city
in the world from the standpoint
of accessibility, it was pointed out.
The North Beach project was
started September 9, 1887. A fleet
of 306 trucks, 10 steam shovels, rs
bulldozers, 4 graders, 2 tractors, 10
cranes and rollers was employed in
the task of moving 35l acres of land
from Rikers Island to North Beach.
The operation went on day and night
at the rate of one truckload of fill
every nine seconds.
Shallow Depth Here.
The fill, to level of u feet above
low water, averaged q feet in depth.
The Gravelly Point site, although
larger in area, involves filling of
water 3 feet or less in depth,
more than so acres of which al
ready is partially filled as result
of earlier dredging operations. This
fill already is settling into solid
ground and is covered with weeds
and saplings.
AS is the case at North Beach,
the Washington National Airport
will be free from distractions. be-
ing bordered by water on three
sides. In each case there is high
ground on the fourth side and the
buildings and hangers are to be To-
Gated along this high ground, caus-
ing distractions on but part of one
side of the field, which is a mini
mum for any airport having build.
ings and hangers of any size.
Under the present schedule, the
North Beach terminal is to be open
by April 30, 1889, in time for the
Worlds Fair. Civil Aeronautics Au-
thority officials have estimated that
approximately one year will be re-
quired to make the Washington Ma
tional Airport disable. with less than
two years for completion.