Evening star., 1941-09-20
Planners Hold
New Span Or
Tunnel Needed
Expanding Approaches
Also Held Necessary
To Serve Buildings

"A new bridge or tunnel crossing
the Potomac River will be necessary
to handle the increased flow of
traffic between the District and
Virginia occasioned by the erection
In nearby Arlington of two new
Federal Office buildings, the Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission asserted yesterday. The
structures referred to are the pro-
jected new War Department build
ing and the nearly completed Navy
Building.
The commission stated that the
new access facilities will be nee
essary in spite of approximately
sl3,O0O0OO worth of approach road
improvements mapped for the three
major existing bridges as a tenn
porary answer to the traffic prob
lem.
Basis for this conclusion was a
report on present and anticipated
traffic conditions on the existing
bridges. Based on favorable con-
ditions of an average week day IN
the spring OF this year. and aSsum-
ing that working hours at the two
structures will be staggered over
an hour period, the report con-
cluded that by the summer of l943
an aggregate reserve capacity for
the three major spans of only 582
vehicles would be available.
Based on $4,000 Workers.
The study was made on the basis
of 10000 persons being employed
at the Army building and 5000 at
the Navy structure within two
years. Analysis was made of High
way, Memorial and Key Bridges.
Analysis of population trends and
habits of Federal employees revealed
that within two years 80 per cent
of the employees at the two build
ings would live on the District side
o. the river and that 95 per cent
of that number would travel to
work by automobile or bus.
John Nolen, jr., director of plan
ming, who submitted the report.
explained that its met result"
showed that by the summer Of
1914. at the latest, the reserve ca
pacity of the three bridges would
be exhausted. He emphasized that
in the discussion of bridges the
capacity referred to applied to ap-
proaches to the spans rather than
to the bridges themselves. Traffic
over the bridges had been studied,
he pointed out, simply because they
offered a convenient point of meas
urement.
Bridge Approaches Suggested.
He also said that unless the new
bridge or tunnel is provided, the
hours of work at the two buildings
would have to be staggered beyond
q single hour if serious traffic con-
gestion is to be avoided.
The principal bridge approach
Improvements planned for the Dis
trict are:
/. Construction of a grade sep
aration at Fourteenth street and
Maine avenue S.W.
2. Extension and broadening of
Independence avenue S.W. from the
Capitol to Lincoln Memorial. Qn
this connection, the commission
subsequently approved plan where
by the avenue would be carried to
the plaza from its present terminus
at Fourteenth street in a straight
line, without making use of exist
ing roads in the Mall. The plan
calls for a causeWay across the
northern extremity Of the Tidal
Basin)
8. Widening and extension of
Twenty-third street NV. from
Washington circle to the Lincoln
Memorial plaza.
4. Construction of a viaduct in
the line of K street NV. from Rock
Greek to Key Bridge. GA plan
whereby traffic westbound on the
proposed viaduct would underpass
Key Bridge, so as to avoid left
turn into the span, later was ap-
proved0
Proposals for Virginia Side.
Improvements recommended on
the Virginia side of the river are:
l. Construction of roadway from
Columbia Island traffic plaza
through Arlington Cantonment to a
point near the intersection of Co.
lumbia pike and Arlington Ridge
road. Eventually to be extended
around the southern border of
Arlington Ridge road to U. S. Route /.
this road would constitute a twin"
to Lee boulevard as an approach
road to Memorial Bridge.
2. Widening and improvement of
Columbia pike from a point near
Arlington Ridg eroad to U. S. Route l..
8. Construction of heavy duty
truck road parallel to Arlington
Ridge road, near the river.
The cost of District improvements
was estimated at approximately
S5.000,000 and those on the Virginia
side at something like 100000.
Mr.. Nolen said steps have been
taken to obtain the necessary
money, without specifying the
means. 1t is assumed, however, that
the work on the District side will
be paid for from Federal aid and
local highway funds. while the War
Department will certify defense
highway money toward the Virginia
improvements.
Approved Route for Bridge.
Another commission act regarding
District highways, though not di-
rectly related to the Virginia Office
buildings. was the approval of a
route from the proposed South Capt.