Evening star., 1946-06-29
Virginia Plans Early
Acquisition Of Land
For Proposed Bridge
By Rudolph Kouffmonn II

The Virginia Department of High
ways and the City of Alexandria
plan early acquisition of land for
approaches to the proposed Alex
andria-Shepherds Landing Bridge
Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant III, chair
man of the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, told the
commission late yesterday.
Gen. Grant reported to the plan
ming group, which ended its June
meeting yesterday, that he had con-
ferred with Brig. Gen. j. A. Ander-
son. commissioner of the Virginia
Highway Department.: Thomas H.
Macdonald, United States commits
sioner of public roads, and Carl
Budwesky, Alexandria city man.
ager, and had been assured by all
three the project will be expedited.
The bridge, funds for which have
not as yet been sought, would link
Alexandria with downtown Wash
ington via South Capitol street and
would be financed jointly by the
Federal Government, the District
and Virginia.
May Drop Zoning Role.
In another move affecting Alex
andria, the commission announced
support of a move by the National
Park Service to wash its hands of
any responsibility for zoning of
property along Washington street.
An agreement to keep Washington
street building development in key
with the character of the Mount
Vernon Memorial highway, made
In 1929, has been gradually preached
by the City Council at the insist
ence OF property owners, Thomas
S. Settle, commission secretary, told
the press after the meeting.
In a move affecting nearby Mary
land. the commission approved plans
of Col. Donald G. White, Army
district engineer for the Potomac,
Rappahannock and Patuxent water
sheds. for widening Cabin John
Bridge from II to 80 feet. Widen
ing would increase width of the
roadway to "a feet and provide two
4-foot sidewalks.
Turning to the District the COM
mission said it opposed any scheme
for allowing private seaplanes to
land on the Potomac River between
Memorial and Key Bridges. Recent
proposals for landing area there,
plus morning and servicing facilities
near the mouth of Rock Creek and
In Georgetown and Rosslyn have |
been made to the Army Engineers
Corps and the National Park
Service.
Silent on Young Plan.
The commission declined to make :
public at this time it's views on
District of Columbia Engineer Com
missioner Gordon R. Young's $228,-
00,0o0 District capital improvement
plan.
The commission likewise declined
to express its views on transporta-
ton plans made by J. E. Greiner
and De Leuw, Gather & Associates,
out-of-town transportation engi-
neering consultants. Basis of the
plan is a s56,000.000 underground
streetcar system for the downtown
section.
In his report to the Board of
Commissioners covering the $685.
900, 900 improvement plan Brig. Gen.
Young criticized the commission for
being tardy with its view on the
underground proposal.
Oppose Area for Swimming.
The commission also:
!. Extended the area in which
building height and design are con-
trolled by the Fine Art Commission
under the Shipstead-Luce Act of
1880 to include the site of the pro-
posed new General Accounting
Once Building at Fifth and GI
streets NV, a few small areas along
Rock Greek Park and the Army
War College sites.
2. Approved a road plan for the
National Arboretum.
8. Reiterated its opinion that the
Anacostia and Potomac Rivers are
too polluted for swimming
4. Approved National Park
Servioe-Civil Aeronautics Admin
stration agreement on the bound
aries of the Mount Vernon Memorial
highway where it crosses the Ma