Evening star., 1945-10-29
Twin BridgeHit
By Gen. Grant as
Harmful 10 Mall
.PIonner Tells Hearing
Commissioners Plan
Would Congest Traffic
BY DON S. WARREN.

by DON D. WAhhEN.
Washingtons battle of the
bridges" was resumed today before
a House subcommittee with a decla-
ration from the Capitals chief city
planner that construction of twir
spans instead of single structure
to replace Highway Bridge would
prove both wasteful and harmful.
Maj. Gen. U. s. Grant III, chair
man of the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, testifyine
before the Chapman subcommittee
Of the House Interstate and For
eign Commerce Committee, agreed
that the old bridge over the Po-
tomac should be replaced as
promptly as possible.
But, he said, the Planning Com.
mission, among other groups, ia.
vored enactment of the Randolph
bill authorizing the project only II
it were amended to authorize a
single six-lane bridge instead of two
four-lane spans.
AuectS u. .. properly.
He charged the Commissioners
were seeking authority to encroacr
to whatever extent they may wish
on Federal property, that they ano
officials of the Public Roads Ad.
ministration had violated" princi-
Piles of planning, and he voiced
fears that erection of twin spans
for the Fourteenth street crossing
of the river would have damaging
effects on the Mall area.
His basic contention was thai
twin spans would direct four lanes
of traffic into approach roads not
adequate to handle so many cars
Referring to the eight-lane prof.
ect as against the six-lane plan he
sponsors, Gen. Grant told the COM
mittee: You cannot pour eight
pints into a six-pint container."
Expenditure Called Unnecessary.
Gen. Grant has contended a
start should be made soon on con-
struction of another bridge over the
Potomac, from Blue Plains to Alex
andria. In response to this argu-
ment, Highway Director H. c
Whitehurst, Thomas H. Macdonald
of the Public Roads Administration
and others have contended the
Alexandria Bridge will be needed
also. They have insisted that traf'
fic in the District resulting from
construction of two one-way four.
lane bridges at the foot of Four.
teenth street can be handled.
Gen. Grant told the subcommit
tee the planning commission op.
poses two four-lane bridges.
"O Because their plan involves
an unnecessary expenditure at thi
time; % because it will inevitably
call for further very expensiv,
remedial steps in the immediat'
future, and it3a because the excess
traffic capacity that it will provid,
will induce a. flow of traffic into tn,
central area of the city, which thi.
already congested area cannot, alb.
sorb.' T
Cites Traffic Studies.
an other words, the extra ex.
penditure is not only unnecessary
but will prove actually harmful. II
addition, by increasing food heights
damaging the background of tn,
Jefferson Memorial and causing
other bad collateral effects it will dc
material damage to an importan
central feature of the National Cap.
ital in the development of which
the Federal Government has an in.
vestment of many millions of dol
lars"
Gen. Grant turned to highwa,
and traffic studies to support hi
belief that Mr.. Macdonald had beer
led to an erroneous conclusion.
These studies, he said, showed TO,
August. 1914, that over so per cen
of traffic crossing Highway Bridg,
comes from the South and that owe
so per cent of it, after enterin,
the District, goes to the east anc
northeast of Fourteenth street. Will
resumption of. through and long
distance traffic, he said, this condi
tion will be even more exaggerated
Therefore, it is to be expected,
he continued, that should the traf
f1c over the new bridge ever exceet
the capacity of the six-lane bridg,
and its approaches. as proposed b,
the planning commission, relief cal
best be afforded by bridge a
Alexandria rather than by buildin.
another bridge now at Fourteenth
street."
Adds to Estimate.
Gen. Grant argued that the twin
span project would cost not onl,
the $7,000,000 now estimated, bu
that an additional S10,500, 900 woult
be needed in the immediate futur,
should Fourteenth street cars b
put underground.
On this point Gen. Grant notet
that Fourteenth street cartrack
surface at Independence avenu
and that these occupy one of tn
three available traffic lanes in eacl
direction, from that point north
He said that Capt Whitehurs
would offer the obvious remedy
of putting the Fourteenth stree
cars underground all the way nortl
to I street, but that this would onl,
remove the differential between tn
capacity of a cartrack lane and /,
lane without a cartrack and woult
establish the full capacity of Four
teenth at maximum of 2,40
vehicles an hour at cost estimated
to be $10,500.000.
Fourteenth street could be wild
ened where it crosses the Mall" h,
said, but this will not help tn,
bottleneck we have been consider
ing and would only increase con
gestion at Constitution avenue"
| - ~ A