Evening star., 1949-09-11
Plans 10 Widen
Ross|yn Circle
Road Revealed
District Studying
Project, Arlington
Manager Reports

! Plans for speeding the flow OF
Virginia. bound traffic at Rosslyn
Circle by widening the roadway
are under consideration by the
District government, County Man.
ager A. T. Lundberg told the Ar
lington County Board yesterday
The disclosure came in answer
to an observation by Board Chair
man Basil M. DeLashmutt that
the already narrow street would
be further congested with the
completion of the Whitehurst
Freeway. This will permit con-
tinuous stream of traffic across
Key Bridge, especially during
rush hours.
= Mr.. DeLashmutt suggested Mr..
Lundberg check with the District
and the Virginia highway depart
ments regarding widening of the
roadway, particularly at the point
where it makes a turn into Lee
highway.
Mr.. Lundberg then replied the
matter had been discussed and
that the District has plans under
consideration.
Jurisdiction Issue Settled.
Hope for facilitating the heavy
flow of District-bound traffic at
the circle was raised last week
when it was revealed that Arling-
ton police would assume jurisdic-
ton. with Park Police, of the
Rosslyn Circle. There has been
little traffic direction on the circle
because Park Police are busy else
where and Arlington police were
under the impression they were
not to take jurisdiction. The
actual move awaits preparation of
formal opinion by the Arlington
commemorative attorney Office.
The County Board yesterday
again failed to act on the matter
of buying or renting voting ma
chimes for use in the November
8 general election. Earlier this
year, the board indicated it felt
the devices cost too much.
The question was raised cur
rently by Edgar w. Pumphrey,
chairman of the Arlington Repub-
lican Executive Committee.
Mr.. Pumphrey, who helps OBJ
tain poll workers, said people are
refusing to take the jobs because
they don't want to sit up all
night and count votes"
Reply From Electoral Board.
As result of Mr.. Humphreys
request at the August ~ board
meeting, the board asked the
County Electoral Board for Its
views Yesterday 1t was disclosed
a reply had been received from
Bankhead T. Davies, Electoral
Board secretary, which said in
part:
"Our greatest difficulty In the
past has been voting people
promptly and eliminating the
forming Of lines and a long wait.
1t is our belief that voting ma
chimes would not diminish the
time it would take a person to
vote, as registration books and
poll lists would have to be
checked, and the voters name en-
tered in the poll books. -"
voting machines would elm
mate counting the votes, and in
this respect are highly desirable,
especially in Arlington. We be-
lieve it better, however, to in
troduce them at a primary elec-
ton and even then to allow suf-
f1cient time to attempt to educate
the voter to their use beforehand.
Mr.. Humphrey told the County
Board he did not agree and felt
the, devices should be tried in a
general election rather than a
primary.
A County Redistricting Com
mission last spring estimated it
would take IS machines to equip
the county. Lowest bid received
was $1,130 machine. They could
be rented for $3.50 per election,
however, and. if the county later
decided to buy them. the rental
could be applied toward the pur-
chase price. Manufacturers fur
nish instructors in the machines
operation before and at the first
two elections.
Buys Two Fire Trucks.
A group of business men from
the Ballston section were assured
that Mr.. Lundberg and the board
would work to correct a condition
resulting from the widening of
Fairfax drive.
The group. headed by Mark
Powell and Harry w. Cuppett,
told the board there is a strip of
unimproved ground between the
sidewalk and the new curb of
Fairfax drive. They said this
would be "a mudhole in the win
ter and a dust bowl in the sum-
mer." The strip is as much as
Is feet wide in spots. they said.
The board awarded a $2,390. bid
to the Ward LaFrance Fire Equip
ment Co.. for two 750-gallon fire
trucks. That firm submitted the
lowest of four bids.
A conference on September 23
was agreed on for discussion of
the. question of petitioning the
circuit court for a referendum
on a $2,324,000 bond issue for
construction Of an addition to the