Evening star., 1941-12-11
Roosevelt Asks
II Millions for
D. {. Projects
Includes New Office
Buildings. Highway
Improvements
By ], A, O'LEARY.

ton of S27,OOO,000 for more public
buildings in Washington, some OF
which could be placed in the Sol
diers' Home grounds, and for high
way and water Improvements made
urgent by the new war crisis. Most
of the highway money is to improve
traffic approaches to the Potomac
River bridges.
These local items were part OF
supplemental budget of more than
s482,0O0000 rushed to the Capitol
last night for inclusion in the So
244 900 900 urgent defense approprla :
ton bill, on which Senate hearings
will come to close by noon today
If these and other last-minute in
creases sent to the Capitol this week
are allowed. as expected, the bill
may be close to $4,000 100000 when
it goes to the Senate in few days
The breakdown of the District
requirements transmitted by the
Budget Bureau last night follows
For additional Government office
buildings, s25, 100000; for highways
s1.9l1.OO0, including the badly
needed new approaches to the Po-
tomac bridges, and S130,0 900 to aug
ment an earlier appropriation for q
10000. .000-gallon covered reservoir
next to the Mcmillan Park filtration
plant.
Would Rent Homes Land.
The public building estimate con-
tains authority for the Board OF
Commissioners of the Soldiers Home
TO lease to the United States for lC
years a part of the spacious park
area surrounding the home as q
site for some of the new defense
Office structures. The Secretary OF
War would fix the land rental to be
paid the home. Under this arrange
ment. the home grounds would not
be permanently diverted to public
building use.
Other essential features OF the
estimates transmitted last night
are:
A s185.OO0. defense housing
fund, from which the President
could provide temporary shelter for
workers near ordnance plants and
shipyards, including the erection OF
$4,000 demountable houses. This
fund would be added to $4,000, 900
allotted for the same purpose last
month.
Another $1O0,O00,000 emergency
housing fund to enable the Presi-
dent to provide $4,000 family dwell
ing units at Army and Navy estab-
lishments and near some defense
plants.
A 500 600 900 fund for the Office
of Emergency Management, which
the Budget Bureau said has been
made necessary by recent critical
developments, for expansion of the
various functions of that agency.
A s63 ,Oo0, 600 appropriation for the
Army Quartermaster Corps and for
the signal service.
A s5,00O,000 fund for the Army
for mapping vital defense areas OF
the country.
Would Share Highway Costs.
The highway projects recon-
mended for the District will be
financed through the local gas tax
fund. but authority is contained in
the budget estimate to handle them
as part of the Federal-aid program
in which event the National Gov
eminent will share the cost.
Out of the total for highways
s1.424.OOO is earmarked for the
opening up of bottleneckS in the
boulevards feeding large volumes OF
traffic into the bridges crossing the
Potomac. Immediate submission OF
this estimate fits in with the report
issued Tuesday by the special trafne
subcommittee of the Senate District
Committee. That report urged a
February start on the bridge ap-
proaches and completing them be-
fore the end of 1912, to handle the
traffic load to and from the huge
new War Department Building lr
Arlington County. AS outlined in
the traffic and highway program
the bridge approaches, when com
pleted, would include: A grade
separation project at Fourteenth
street and Maine avenue S.W., lead
ing to Highway Bridge; a connec-
ton with Key Bridge from an ele-
waited K street highway over Rocf
Creek, extension of independence
avenue from Fourteenth street tt
Memorial Bridge and the widening
Of Twenty third street NV, 1nclud'
ing a grade separation approach tt
Memorial Bridge.
After consulting the National Parl
and Planning Commission and th'
Commission of Fine Arts, the Dis
trict heads are authorized to submi
the bridge approaches to the Public
Roads Administration for adoption
as Federal-aid projects.
Includes Fire Alarm Boxes.
A proposed increase in the loca
gas tax from to cents gallon j
awaiting action by the Senate Dis
trict Committee to help finance
these these and other highway i'm
provements over a 10-year period.
Aside from the bridge approaches
the estimates awaiting action toda.
in the big defense supply bill leave
another s487,000 for grading an
paving other streets and installation
of fire alarm boxes.
Although the $25,000,00 public
building estimate includes the Sol
diers' Home grounds as one site, l
contains general authority to pur
chase or lease other sites also. Dis
cussing the public building situation
the Budget Bureau told the Senate:
"A continuing study has beer
made of the space requirements II
the District of the several agencie!
connected with the national defense
program. Some relief will be afford
ed with the completion of temporary
buildings now authorized or undel
construction and with the compile
ton of the new War Department
Building. 1t will not be possible
however, to meet all requirements
and with the Nation now at war, ad.
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