Evening star., 1949-12-08
Planners Study
Soldiers Home
Traffic Routine
New Highway Urged.
But No Final Action
Is Expected Now
By Nelson M. Shepard

Oll ScFcIdl HAIL UIiOI OuSIlldl cS
through the 500-acre grounds of
the Soldiers Home in different
directions.
Consideration Of a new high
way plan to solve this bottle
neck was taken up by the Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission in connection with
the proposal of the Veterans Bu-
reau to establish veterans hos
pital on the grounds. No final
action by the planning commission
is expected at this time.
Roads which might be extended
through the grounds east by west
are Columbia and Park roads.
North Capitol and First streets
extending north and south also
are blocked by the Soldiers Home
ground.
Thomas C. Jeffers, landscape
director, reported on the results
of a conference with officials of
the Veterans Bureau at which
the hospital and highway plan
were discussed. These matters
will occupy the attention of the
planning commission during most
of today's session.
Action on Bridge Delayed.
Prior to this discussion, the COM
mission postponed action on the
proposal of the District Highway
Department to build a new bridge
over the Anacostia River at East
Capitol street until their January
meeting.
The postponement was requested
by Brig. Gen. Gordon R. Young,
Engineer Commissioner, and can
celed round between Gen. Young
and John Nolen, jr., director of
planning, who was prepared to
make final arguments on behalf
of a counter plan to place the new
bridge at Massachusetts, avenue.
Gen. Young gave no reason for
requesting the postponement, but
it was understood that he was
not prepared to submit traffic
data on the two bridge sites and
alternative locations that have
been proposed.
The next commission meeting
will be January Is and 26 and its
staff has prepared traffic figures
to bolster it's contention that
Massachusetts avenue is the log
ical location for the new AnacoStia
Bridge.
Maryland Studies Change.
Maryland planning officials to-
day we're studying a Federal re-
COMMUNICATION to change the
route Of the proposed new dual
Northwest freeway from Rock
vile south so that it would by
pass Washington, instead of en-
tering the District via Macarthur
boulevard.
Divulged for the first time yes
terday by the commission, the
suggested rerouting would require
another Potomac River bridge
near Glen Echo, it was said. The
plan was to be taken up later
today with Virginia officials and
also will be Incorporated into the
comprehensive highway plans
now being prepared for the metro
politan area.
Federal officials said the re-
routing, which would bring
through trucks and passenger
cars down the east side of the
Cabin John Valley, would cost
less than the previous plan. It
would also have the additional
advantage of permitting traffic to
flow uninterruptedly north and
south across the Potomac.
John Nolen, jr., director Of plan
ming, announced the commission
has requested the Geological Sur
vey to prepare an up-to-date and
large-scale Typographical map Of
Washington and its environs. The
last map of this kind for Wash
ington was made in 1888. It's scale
of 400 feet to an inch is of little
value in -present-day planning.
Arboretum Protests.
After hearing protests from Of
ficlals of the National Arboretum,
NCPPC adopted a resolution ex-
pressing its intention to do every
thing possible to avoid extending
a dual highway through its
grounds. One of the plans under
advisement would channel the
combined traffic of the Baltimore
Washington parkway and the An
napolis freeway across a portion
Of the Aboretum.
District recreation officials re-
quested a speed-up of the studies
Of. the recreational needs for the
Lucy Digges Slowe School in the
Brookland area. This will have
to wait until the Census Bureau
reports on the distribution Of
children in the area, it was said.
That would be next year.
The planning officials informed
| the Recreation Board it would be
impossible at this time to rec
ommend the retention of one of
the Freedom Fair exhibition
buildings for play purposes after
the >Sesquicentennial celebration
ends.
AL day tomorrow. the planning
group will consider the compre-
hensive plan and preparations for
| its publication. Tentative ar
rangements call for the first sum-
married. report to go to press at
the end of the January meeting.
This would be followed by a series
of monographs, dealing with
various phases of the master
plan.
lDr. FIJI. GoIdmon lauf,e,d
Sofety Engineer Here
The Commissioners today M
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