Evening star., 1938-05-30
START Of WORK
0NNEWPARKWAY
FORECASTBYB|DS
First George Washington
Memorial Project Unit
About | Mile Long.
HIGHWAY AND TRAILS
TO SKIRT THE POTOMAC
Double Road From Rosslyn Plaza
to Columbia Island to Give
Traffic New D. c. Entry.

Actual construction of the first unit
Of the George Washington Memorial
parkway, long a dream Of city plan
ners. drew near today as the Bureau
of Public Roads prepared to adver-
tise for bids for construction, with
National Park Service funds, of a
riverside double highway and trails
from Columbia Island to the Rosslyn
Plaza.
The advertisement, which may be
ready for publication tomorrow. will
call for bids on approximately one
mile of highway construction similar
to the Mount Vernon boulevard, con-
Meeting the proposed Lee boulevard
at the Virginia shore of Boundary
Channel with Rosslyn Plaza at the
west end of Key Bridge. Trails along
the river also are to be constructed.
it was explained by c. Marshall Fin
man, superintendent of National Cap
ital Parks.
The unit is regarded as of great
importance, not only because it marks
the first actual construction IN the
. George Washington parkway, even
tually planned to extend to Great
Falls, but because it will provide a
much-needed new approach to WASH
ington from Virginia.
May Ease Traffic Jams.
Traffic from the communities along
Lee highway and Wilson boulevard
may be routed into downtown WASH
ington by way of the new road and
Arlington Memorial Bridge by a more
direct approach, escaping the con-
gested Georgetown area, it was point
ed out.
Availability of the new parkway for
use depends on completion of the new
Lee boulevard connection to the Ar
lington Memorial boulevard on Co
lumbia Island. Grading of this Sec
tion of the boulevard is being COM
pleted and two bridges have been
completed, one temporary span to
carry the boulevard across Boundary
Channel, near the northwest end of
Columbia Island and the other a
triple-arch, stone faced bridge across
the Pennsylvania Railroad branch line
from Rosslyn.
The section of the Lee boulevard on
Columbia Island also will be double
highway, divided by Handicapped CEN
ter parking. Crossing Boundary
Channel on the temporary bridge
and the new bridge over the railroad,
the Lee boulevard will skirt Arling-
. ton National Cemetery and Fort Myer.
connecting with the already COM
pleted section from Fort Myer to near
Falls Church, Va.
The George Washington Memorial
parkway double road will connect
with the Lee boulevard at the Vir-
einia end of the Boundary Channel
Bridge.
Will Go Under Key Bridge.
At the Rosslyn end the parkway
road will enter the plaza on deep
fill around the small power-plant
building. Eventually it is planned to
carry the parkway road under Key
Bridge and on up the Virginia shore
OF the Potomac.
Ofhcials of the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission are
to confer at once with officials Of
Arlington County. Va, on plans for
acquisition and development of the
second unit of the George Washing
ton parkway, from Key Bridge to
Spout Run. Purchase and develop
ment of this section is contingent
upon contribution by the county Of
$4,000, to be matched by the State
of Virginia. The Federal Govern
ment, in turn, is to contribute $780,
900 to match the State and county
funds, providing a total of 100000
for the project.
The road connecting the two units
would pass under new arch to be
constructed at the Virginia end of
Key Bridge.
The triple-arch bridge across the
railroad also is planned to span
double highway which eventually is
to replace Arlington Ridge road, along
the wall of Arlington National Ceme-
tery. One arch Is reserved for the
railroad, one for truck highway and
one for a passenger-vehicle highway,
all three underpassing the Lee boule-
ward.