Evening star., 1938-05-17
USE Of HIGHWAY
ACROSS AIRPORT
IS DISCONTINUED
Military Road, Denounced as
Air Transport Hazard,
Closed Permanently.
WORK TO START SOON
ON CONCRETE BARRIER
Farley Planned on New Traffic
Control Plan-Removal of
Hangers Considered.

Military road across Washington
Airport. for years denounced by avi-
ton authorities as one of the most
serious air transport hazards in Amer
lea. was permanently closed today
under terms of an Act of Congress
signed by President Roosevelt April IA.
No ceremony marked the passing
Of the highway. storm center of sew
eral years of controversy before con-
gressional committees. An officer from
the Office of the Quartermaster Cen
eral merely hung placards giving
notice that the road was closed on
temporary barriers erected near the
intersection of Military road and
United States Highway No. l. near
Highway Bridge and at the southeast
corner of Arlington National Gem
etery.S
Construction of permanent con-
crete barrier across Military road
under the overpass of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroads Rosslyn branch line
will be started before the end OF the
week by National Aviation Corp,
owners and operators of Washington
Airport.
Conference Planned.
For the present there will be only
q chain barrier across the east end
of Military road, near the airport
terminal.
Samuel j. Solomon. manager of the
airport, said he will confer with
officials of the District Traffic Depart
ment in an effort to work out new
method of traffic control and a pos
sible Encouragement of the roads and
automobile parking area at the airport
terminal building Until this plan Is
completed, short section OF Military
road, extending to the west END OF the
airport pool, will continue to serve as
the approach road to the terminal.
Later the Military road right OF way
will be graded up to the level OF the
remainder of the airport. Plans are
being considered for removal OF
hangars and the brick terminal oulio-
ing on old Hoover Field and Tor pos
sible construction Of a new runway
through this area.
Possibility that the Virginia 6taue
CORPORATION Commission may reopen
consideration of a pending application
for removal of the big Goodyear air.
ship hangar on Hoover Field was seen
TODAY as a result of closing OF the road
The application, pending since early
last fall, characterizes the hangar as a
menace to airplanes using the long
runway at Washington Airport unoer
certain wind conditions
Site of New Road Studied.
The application was tabled tempo
rarilv because of uncertainty as to the
fate of Military road and the unsettled
airport situation generally.
The act under which Military ROAD
was closed provided for $4,000 pay
ment by the National Aviation Corp.
to the County Board of Arlington
County. Va. for construction of sub
stitute highway The payment was
made Saturday by Mr.. Solomon.
County officials now are making
study of a site for the substitute.
Meanwhile officials in the Arlington
COuIfUy ANPdA wv o-->
closing of the road as an aid to their
effort to widen Columbia pike, which
will be used by a large portion OF
traffic formerly using Military road.
The Arlington County board has en-
deavored for two years to have the
Virginia State Highway Commission
widen Columbia pike from its present
18-foot width. County officials be-
lieve the traffic added to the already
overburdened road will give more
weight to their argument.
The county engineers announced the
following alternate routes for county,
bound traffic: From Key Bridge down
Route l to Columbia pike, turn right
on Columbia pike to Arlington Ridge
road or South Lynn street, turn right
on either street until Washington
boulevard is intersected. The latter
street is an extension of Military road