Evening star., 1941-12-09
Arlington Board Backs
War Building Road
Plans in Principle
Urges Changes, However;
Hotel Issue Apparently
Dropped in Letter

The program Of the Public Roads
Administration for the treatment
of highways leading into the new
War Department Building area to-
day had been approved in principle
by the Arlington County (Va0
Board. Several minor changes in
the plan were suggested for the
future benefit of the county.
The board approved the principle
Of the P. R. A. highway plan at
a special meeting yesterday in
which County Planning Engineer
Frank L. Dieter outlined the main
program and at the same time told
the board of features which were
not included and which are re-
garded as desirable.
Several changes, as suggested by
the planner, were approved for in
corporation in a letter to Thomas
H. Macdonald of the P. R. A,
which was sent by County Manager
Frank C. Hanrahan.
Hotel Issue Omitted.
1t was noted that the changes
suggested by the county did not
include a point which has been
prominently raised heretofore con-
corning the location OF an Alex
andria bypass route so as to make
possible the construction of a ST.
100000 apartment-hotel at Airing
ton Ridge road and Columbia pike.
The lack of insistence on this point
led some observers to believe that
the hotel issue is dead as far as
the County Board is concerned.
Mr.. Hanrahan read the board
letter he had written to Mr.. Mac
Donald in which he declared I'VE
are still of the opinion that these
CP R. A. plans are not to the
best interests of Arlington County
and to all concerned"
Among the principal objections to
the Federal plans is proposal to
block of Columbia pike and Airing
ton Ridge road near their present
intersection.
The county planners also decry
the lack Of information concerning
the Governments plans for acquir-
ing additional land which might be
left "pocketed" without proper ac-
cess to the new road network if the
property remains in private owner
ship.
Doubt Bridge Tie-in.
The P. R. A. plan is not completely
adaptable, the county engineers feel,
to any new bridge which may be
erected across the Potomac River in
the future Another revision sug-
gested is the P R. AS treatment of
the intersection of Arlington Ridge
road and Lee boulevard which, it is
contended can be cut from three
points of traffic conflict to one.
The board-approved letter calls
attention to the P. R. A. ignoring a
roadway from Unit of the George
Washington Memorial Parkway to
Rosslyn Plaza to furnish connect
ing link for down-river traffic with
Key Bridge. The county has OBJ
tanned a written agreement with the
Federal Government that this con-
Meeting link will be built, Mr.. Han
rahan said.
Because the P. R. A. road program
calls for fast traffic arteries around
the Government area which includes
the War Department, Fort Myer,
Arlington Cantonment, Arlington
National Cemetery and the Federal
Office Building No. 2, the county
engineers ask that certain revisions
be made to provide for grade separa-
tionS for the access roads into this
area. Instances in where Fort Myer
military units hold up vehicular
traffic on Lee boulevard were cited
as a fault which the P. R. A. plan
does not rectify.
Other recommended provisions in
the plan include an agreement
whereby the county will retain ac-
cess to streets which may have to
be closed when the Federal project
is completed.