Evening star., 1947-04-25

Memorial highway Is an non-commer-
cial vehicle alternate to the Richmond
highway. Military highway, leading
from Southeast Washington to Andrews
Field, at present is paved on one lane
only but second will be added.
Several other roads in the Washing
ton area are typical of Maryland's
roads generally. Those for which civic
groups have sought improvement in
clude Defense highway to Annapolis;
Colesville pike which is a six-Iane boule-
ward through Silver Spring but rough,
winding and hilly beyond; Route 5 to
Waldorf and Georgia avenue extended
Brookyille pike).
The latest and one of the best ex-
amples Of highway engineering in this
area is the Henry G. Shirley Memorial
highway which will furnish another
limited-access alternate approach to
Washington from the South. A portion
OF this highway, extending to the Fair
fax County line at Alexandria, already
has been built by the Federal Govern
ment as part of the Pentagon Building
road network. The State now is grad
ing and preparing to surface a con-
tinuation of this highway around Alex
andria and as far south as Woodbridge,
where 1t will meet the Richmond high
way.
Virginia officials hope to have the
Shirley highway open next year.
Lee highway, leading into Washing
ton from the west, is dual-lane most of
the way from beyond Centerville to
Fairfax Circle. It is three-lane from
Fairfax Circle to Key Bridge but an
other dual-lane thoroughfare, the Lee
boulevard, almost parallels it from Fair
fax Circle to Memorial Bridge. Vir-
ginia plans to make Lee highway dual
lane from beyond Centerville toward
Warrenton and build another dual-lane
road from Fairfax toward Winchester.
The Free State is going ahead with
a proposed parkway between here and
Baltimore. Roads Commission officials
said the first portion, on which grading
has been completed between Defense
highway in Prince Georges County and
Waterloo, is the responsibility of the
Federal Government.
The States portion of the road will
start at Waterloo and extend through
Baltimore to meet the excellent Gen.
Pulaski highway, formerly the Gov.
Nice highway.
The Rockville pike Is good undi-
vided four-lane highway, but Washing
ton provides bottleneck by ichannelling
heavy traffic down Wisconsin avenue
Surveys now are being made for a route
OF proposed limited access, superhigh-
way, the Northwest freeway, which will
serve as an express alternate from near
Gaithersburg into the Capital.
Future outlook for both States is sum-
married in comments from officials. Gov.
Lane told the General Assembly last
month:
1--WE need modern, toll-free express
ways, in addition to revenue bond pro-
iccts, to accommodate olr own Mary
land intrastate traffic on routes carry
ing over 5000 vehicles day.
1--WE need highways of two or more
traffic lanes in each direction, with CEN
ter separation and with controlled ac-
cess, for those routes serving between
5000 and 5000 vehicles day We also
need, for safe and expeditions travel,
modern two-lane arterial highways on
the State highway system to accom-
modate up to 5000 vehlcles<a day"
Virginias highway commissioner, Brig
Gen. James A. Anderson, keynoted the
underlying thesis Of the States 20-year
plan when he said
ITO plan better highways of the future
Is problem of greater Importance than
to plan these highways for the present"