Evening star., 1945-12-18
Ickes Attacks
Twin Bridges
AsUnsiight|y
Memorial Bockdrop
Likened to q Cheap
Shooting Gallery

-
Secretary Of Interior Ickes today
aligned himself with those opposing
construction of two four lane bridges
across the Potomac and criticized
the proposal as one which would
detract from the beauty of the JET
ferson Memorial.
Appearing before the Chapman
subcommittee of the House Inter-
state and Foreign Commerce Com
mittee, Mr.. Ickes said the northern
approaches of twin spans would pro-
vide backdrop of moving vehicles,
instead Of trees, for the memorial.
Il can only compare such q back
drop to the mechanical ducks which
move across the back of every two
bit shooting gallery in the country"
the cabinet member said.
In IL pages of prepared testi-
mony which he read to the commit
tee, Mr.. Ickes went down the line in
support of the position taken by
Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant, Sd, chair
man of the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, and Mr..
Ickes' own National Park Service,
adding a few touches of his own.
Traffic Load Unnecessary.
Mr.. Ickes told the committee he
felt two 4-lane bridges would throw
an unnecessary load of trafic into
park roads and would result in the
expenditure of additional funds to
depress or elevate traffic arteries
throughout downtown Washington.
Mr.. Ickes charged Public Roads
Commissioner Thomas H. MacDon-
aid had taken the position that If
the District built a single six-lane,
two-way bridge, no Federal funds
would be forthcoming for the prof.
ect.
II believe I would find it dificult
to avoid arriving at the same con-
clusion as the District Commits
sioners after Mr.. Macdonald had
said in effect, DO it my way or
else
Il believe that Mr.. Macdonald
misconceives his role as a Federal
official, efficient and high minded
as he may be. 1t would seem to me
his function Is to build the roads
that policy-making agencies may
determine upon" Mr.. Ickes said.
Cites Growth in Traffic.
In another blow at the Public
Roads Administration, Mr.. Ickes de-
scribed as curious" the administra-
tion's conclusion that the SO, 900 cars
and trucks which it feels will use
the crossing in the future, will cause
no more congestion in downtown
Washington than the 44,500 using
the crossing in 1941.
The two-bridge plan would have
SAD consequences in the downtown
business district" Mr. Ickes said.
The Interior Secretary took a sly
poke at the National Commission of |
Fine Arts, which has approved the
two-bridge scheme purely from an
architectural standpoint. He quoted
Gilmore d. Clarke, chairman of the
arts commission, as writing to Gen.
Grant that the question of two
bridges is "debatable, since it is based
upon esthetics and, in that area of
thought, there may be as many an
swers as there are persons to de-
bate"
No Matter of Opinion.
Mr.. Ickes said he was a little sur
prised ito hear from a representa-
tive Of one of the fine arts that
esthetics is so purely a matter of
opinion that educated judgment on
(which might include his own
is to be taken with grain of salt"
Capt. H. c. Whitehurst, District
highways engineer, took issue with
testimony given last week by Gen.
Grant in which the latter quoted a
confidential War Department report
made on single bridge. Capt.
Whitehurst said the study had been
one dealing with the war emergency
only, and the report included not
only a plan for a vehicular bridge,
but added emergency railroad tracks
In addition to traffic lanes.
Gen. Grant had referred to this
report to support his testimony IA
voring one six-lane two-way bridge
rather than two four lane bridges.
Position Summarized.
Capt. Whitehurst's testimony
which was presented in 81 type
written pages, summarized his posi-
ton regarding the bridge proposal
as follows:
l. At least four lanes and more
are available on both the District
and Virginia sides for service to the
bridges.
2. BY minor changes additional
facilities can be provided.
8. If in future still further
capacity is necessary, it can be pro-
vided without undoing existing i'm
provements and at relatively small
cost.
4. It would be uneconomical to
provide less than four lane capacity
bridges in each direction.
5. Bridge facilities of less capacity
than that proposed by the District
Commissioners would be made
.quate.
8. Any facility of whatever cost
would prove expensive If inadequate.