Evening star., 1946-08-04
Plans Speeded
For Maryland
Parkway Unit
First Seven Miles
To Link Goblin John
And Greet Falls
By Rudolph Kouffmonn II

First unit of the long planned
George Washington Memorial Park
way to be built in Montgomery
County will be seven-mile stretch
between Cabin John Creek and
Great Falls, the National Park
Service disclosed yesterday.
Announcement of its intention to
request funds for the construction
phase of the parkway was made
recently by the park service, which
controls the Washington park sys-
tenn through It's local field agency,
the ONCE of National Capital
Parks. About 80 per cent of the
necessary land has been bought,
and money has been appropriated
for the remainder.
The park service determined to
seek construction funds following
amendment of the 1890 act authoriz-
ing the Memorial Parkway to per-
NIT 100 per cent Federal financing
Of the part of the roadway lying
in Maryland as well as the Vir-
ginia segment.
Funds to Be Sought.
If the Budget Bureau approves
the park services plan, construc-
ton money would be provided under
the 1948 Interior Department ap-
preparation bill In the section max
ing annual funds available for ma
tional parkways.
Park officials said yesterday that
plans for the Cabin John-Great
Falls leg of the parkway are rapidly
being brought to completion with
the help of road designers of the
Public Roads Administration. which
will engineer and supervise the ac-
tual construction.
Under the. plan, the Montgomery
County sector would start just up
river of the creek, being tied into
Macarthur boulevard by special
feeder road. The parkway would
skirt the C. & o. Canal, passing
between the canal and the David
Taylor Model Testing Basin at
Carderock From there it would
continue past the Anglers Inn, TAX
ing the greatest possible advantage
of the rocky topography between
there and the falls. The upper
! terminus would be at historic Great
Falls Tavern. now in disrepair but
scheduled for remodeling as parks
| lodge.
Condemnation Action Due.
! The Park and Planning Commits
sion, which buys land for the project
and turns it over to the park service
for development, announced this
week its intention to ask the jus
tice Department to start condemna-
ton proceedings necessary to acqui-
sition of the remaining land neces-
sary to the parkway right-of-way
as soon as possible.
The roadway itself would be dual.
with the lanes separated by center
strip of varying width. Protected by
strip of park land from residential
or commercial improvement, it would
be restricted to passenger traff1c,
except that buses may be permitted
to operate over certain sections.
This section of the parkway Is
only one of several which are plan
ned eventually to link Great Falls
and Mount Vernon with a scenic
roadway on both sides of the Poto-
mac River some so miles long.
Other Sections Planned.
| First unit of the drive to be built
was the Mount Vernon Memorial
| highway, which now extends from
Mount Vernon to Key Bridge Other
sections will link Cabin John with
Macarthur boulevard and the pro-
posed Fort drive in the District. the
K street speedway, Potomac Park.
the Observation-Disclosures park
way (via Independence and Consti-
tuition avenues extended, the South
Capitol street bridge and Fort
Washington, across the river from
Mount Vernon.
A bridge above Great Falls and
a ferry at Mount Vernon are pro-
posed eventually to link the two
loose ends of the road.
Last section to be built likely will
be the upper Arlington and Fairfax
County leg of the drive. Virginia
and the counties have been slow
to appropriate necessary land-pur.
chase funds at time when prop
erty owners along the right of way
are planning building and subdivi-
sions, which will send land costs
soaring.
This is causing the planning COM
mission great concern and recently
caused a remark by its director Of
planning, John Nolen, jr., that If
something is not done to get the
land soon, there is danger of hav-
ing to abandon this section of the
parkway completely.
An early conference with Gov.
Tuck of Virginia and county officials
is planned to ease the situation.
Fishing Contest