Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-06-14
ConlnitteeVisits
for
New Span Study
House Group Gives
No indication of
Immediate Decision
By Rudolph Kouffmonn II

Immediate Decision
By Rudolph Kouffmonn II
Decision on a new Potomac River
bridge to replace Highway Bridge
still waited today as members Of
the House subcommittee studying
the controversial bridge bill made
a trip up the Washington Monument
to get bird's-eye view Of the cros-
sing.
Chairman Chapman of the House
Interstate and Foreign Commerce
Subcommittee said after the trip
he would hold another committee
meeting soon, arousing speculation
whether the next meeting would
be the last.
A week ago today President
Truman came out for twin one-way
bridges of four lanes each to replace
the ageing and inadequate High
way Bridge after 10 months Of
controversy between Government Of
ficials as to whether the twin spans
or single six-lane bridge should be
built.
Accompanied by Group.
Two other committee members
made the trip today, Representatives
Beckworth. Democrat, Of Texas and
Holmes, Republican, of Massa-
chusetts. They were accompanied
by Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant III, chair
man of the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission; A. z.
Demaray, associate director OF the
National Park Service; District
Highway Director H. c. Whitehurst
and H. E. Hits. deputy public roads
commissioner in charge Of design.
Thus the committeeman were &C.
companied by two twin-bridge men
and two favoring a single span.
In the controversy the planning
commission and park service, IA
voring the one-bridge plan, have
been ranged against the District
and the Public Roads Administra-
ton. The bill before the committee
calls for two bridges to be built
at a cost of $7,000,0 900.
Hours Discussion Held.
The better part of an hours dis
cussion took place between these
officials at the top of the Monu-
ment.
Gen. Grant and Mr.. Demaray ad-
vanced several of their best argu.
ments in favor Of the single bridge.
They pointed out that it would af-
ford better view of the Jefferson
Memorial to tourists approaching
Washington. that if it were built q
second smaller bridge could still be
built at some future date and that
it would take long time to build
both bridges, during which traffic
would still remain congested.
When Gen. Grant said he figured
it would be six years after passage
of legislation before both bridges
were completed, Capt. Whitehurst
and Mr.. Hits said 1t would take
about half that time.
The northbound span Of the twin
bridges, which would be built about
900 yards south of Highway Bridge,
Capt. Whitehurst said, would give
motorists a fine view of the me-
mortal as they came on the bridge
from the Virginia side.
1t would be good business sense,
they said, to build bridges which are
actually twins because the same
forms and specifications could Be
used for both, saving planning and
construction time.
Bridge Needs Repairs.
Highway Bridge, Capt. White
hurst told the committee, is in poor
repair in addition to being made
quate, and could not long be used
as a substitute for one Of the twin
spans, as suggested by some econ
omy- minded observers.
It's piers are subject to scour, its
bed is laminated wood already rot
ten in spots, and the draw ma
chinery is "apout shot"
All four officials were closely ques-
toned by committee members de-
spite the fact they have already
heard thousands of words Of testi-
mony.
Mr.. Chapman said he thought still
another bridge would be needed at
Alexandria before many years. He
said he thought It would divert
more traffic from downtown Wash
ington than we think"
An Alexandria bridge has been
advocated by one-bridge proponents
as a substitute for a second bridge
at the Fourteenth street crossing.
Roads Near Completion.
Mr.. Hits said, however, that the
Morgantown Bridge provides the
most direct bypass of Washington
for north-south traffic and that new
roads connecting it with the national
highway system are nearing COM
pletion.
Both Gen. Grant and Mr.. DEM
array raised the point that increased
construction costs would cause the
100000 sum planned for the
bridge to be inadequate and that an
economy minded Congress might
fail to appropriate for the second
of the twin spans.
Capt. Whitehurst and Mr.. Hits
secuted this argument. saying the
financing of the bridges has been
carefully worked out on the basis
of national road and bridge build
ing experience and that the money
would stretch far enough.
The trip was the second made by
the committee. After members left
the Monument, they crossed both
Highway and Memorial Bridges to
see how views of Washington memo
rails were likely to shape up.
County Schools Beqin