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


By J. A. O'LEARY.
A Senate subcommittee may act |
today on a request from President |
Roosevelt for immediate approprla-
ton of $27 ,0000 900 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 a
supplemental budget of more than
S482 100000 rushed to the Capitol
last night for inclusion in the So
244 0OO,0 900 urgent defense appropria-
ton bill. on which Senate hearings
will come to a 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 10000 when
it goes to the Senate in few days.
The break down of the District
requirements transmitted by the
Budget Bureau last night follows:
For additional Government office
buildings, s25 100000: for highways,
s19l1,OO0, including the badly
needed new approaches to the Po-
tomac bridges, and S130000 to aug
ment an earlier appropriation for a
20. 900 0O0- 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 10
years a part of the spacious park
area surrounding the home as a
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 sl85,OO0000 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, 600
allotted for the same purpose last
month.
Another slO00O0,000 emergency
I housing fund to enable the PreSl-
dent TO provide 24000 family dwell
/ ing units at Army and Navy estab-
| lishmentS and near some defense
plants.
A 100000 900 fund for the ONCE
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 $63 900 900 appropriation for the
Army Quartermaster Corps and for
the signal service.
A S5,000,000 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
ernment will share the cost.
Out of the total for highways,
S1,424 900 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 traffic
subcommittee of the Senate District
| Committee. That report urged a
February start on the bridge ap-
proaches and completing them be-
traffic load to and from the huge
new War Department Building in
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; connec-
ton with Key Bridge from an ele-
waited K street highway over Rock
Creek. extension of Independence
avenue from Fourteenth street to
Memorial Bridge and the widening
of Twenty-third street NV, includ-
ing a grade separation approach to
Memorial Bridge.
After consulting the National Park
and Planning Commission and the
Commission of Fine Arts, the Dis
trict heads are authorized to submit
the bridge approaches to the Public
Roads Administration for adoption
as Federal-aid projects.
Includes Fire Alarm Boxes.
A proposed increase in the local
gas tax from 2 to 3 cents a gallon is
awaiting action by the Senate Dis
trict Committee to help finance
these these and other highway i'm
provements over 10-year period.
Aside from the bridge approaches,
the estimates awaiting action today
in the big defense supply bill leaves
another S487,0OO for grading and
paving other streets and installation
of fro alarm boxes
Although the $25,000000 public
building estimate includes the Sol
diers' Home grounds as one site, it
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 been
made of the space requirements in
the District of the several agencies
connected with the national defense
program. Some relief will be afford