Evening star., 1943-06-03
WPB May Allow
Of
Basin Bridge
D. c. Seeks Permission
To Finish New
ruffic Facility

Possibility that the Non in
dustrial Facilities Committee of
the War Production Board would
revoke it's decision to stop work
on the Tidal Basin Bridge and
road project, now almost COM
pleted, was seen today as work on
the traffic facility continued and
the formal order revoking priori-
ties on critical materials had not
yet been issued.
The Commissioners, it was indi-
Gated, Will make fight for permis-
sion to complete the project in view
Of the fact that it will be ready for
service within an estimated As days.
Meanwhile, unless members of the
WPB committee change their minds,
the stop order was due sometime
today. 1t had been expected yes
terday but failed to appear. The
COMMITTEES decided some days ago to
halt the project and instructed its
counsel to prepare an order.
Element of Mystery.
There was an element of mystery
in the process that led the WPB
committee to vote to stop the project
as non-eSSential to the war effort
Last December hearing was held
and Capt, H. c. Whitehurst. District
highway director, testified that the
work was 80 per cent completed
The committee then known as the
Facilities Review Committee, visited
the project and decided Capt. White
hurst had overestimated its prog
ress. The highway director also told
the committee all the critical ma
terlals necessary to finish the i'm
provement were on hand. But the
committee pointed out that. even so.
manpoWcr problem was involved.
But nothing was done at the time.
Work was allowed to continue and
the bridge began to take shape and
the highway approaches and other
features of the million -dollar-plus
facility neared completion.
Recently the committee took up
the project again. 1t was explained
that drastic order from Donald M.
Nelson, WPB chairman, ordered
halt to all construction not vital to
the war and many projects had been
stopped all over the country. 1t
would not be fair. committee mem
bers continued, to exempt the WASH
lngton Improvement
The stop order for the Tidal Basin
project was held up for awhile after
the committee authorized it bv the
necessity Of agreeing on exactly
what work was necessary to assure
that the unfinished bridge and road
facilities would not be damaged
while they were awaiting compile
ton. The language of the order
allowing replacement of a sea wall
torn down temporarily and of Ger
tain road construction and restora-
ton of sewer gconnections-Was un-
derstood to have been agreed on yes
terday.
Sees Stoppage Futile.
Since then one member of the
committee-unnamed-visited the
project and was reported to have
decided that it was so near COM
pletion, stopping it now would be
futile gesture. Whether any other
committee members felt the same
way could not be learned imme-
diately.
The Non-InduStrial Facilities
Committee itself remains a public
mystery. Its existence never has
been announced officially and its
membership remains secret.
although it has functioned for
months. An announcement that
there Is such committee and the
identity OF its personnel is expected
to be made soon by Charles E..
Wilson, WPB executive vice chair
man.
Capt. Whitehurst said the District
government had not been advised
that the committee had decided to
issue stop order and in the absence
OF some official word that priorities
had been revoked, work would be
continued. District officials expressed
considerable amazement when in
formed by The Star yesterday of
the committees action. Capt. White
hurst pointed out that the War De-
partment had asked for the project
to facilitate the movement of traffic
between Washington and the Penta-
gon Building in Virginia.