Evening star., 1949-12-08
Planners Delay
Action on Bridge
Over Anacostia
Postponement, Asked
By Gen. Young, Puts
Off Debate on Location
By Nelson M. Shepard

W. >SSSeS VII SSSStsSts
! By Nelson M. Shepard
Action on the proposal of the
District Highway Department to
build a new bridge over the Ana
costa River at East Capitol street
was postponed by Federal plan
ners today 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 tc
make final arguments on behalf
of counter plan to place the new
bridge at Massachusetts, avenue.
Gen. Young gave no reason fol
requesting the postponement, but
1t 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 25 and 26 and its
staff has prepared traffic figures
to bolster its contention that
Massachusetts, avenue is the log
ical location for the new Anacostia
Bridge.
Maryland planning officials to-
day were studying Federal re-
commendation 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.
Route Change Studied.
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.
Offers Alternate Route.
The new plan offers an alternate
route for passenger cars going into.
Virginia. These could cross the
river near Glen Echo and enter
the George Washington Memorial
parkway, following that route
along the Potomac to Alexandria
or connect with U. s. Route No. /.
Other traffic by-passing Wash
tngton could cross the river and
connect with the Shirley highway
to Springfield, in Fairfax County,
and thence to Woodbridge which
affords a juncture with Route
No. / to the South.
Southbound trucks from Rock
vile, destined for points in Wash
ington, it was explained, would
continue to use Wisconsin avenue.
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 it's environs. The
last map of this kind for Wash
ington was made in 1888. Its scale
of 400 feet to an inch is of little
value in present-day planning.
Arboretum Protests.
After hearing protests from Of
ficials of the National Arboretum,
NCPPC adopted a resolution ex-
pressing its intention to do every
thing possible to avoid extending
q 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
omnend the retention of one of
the Freedom Fair exhibition
buildings for play purposes after
the Sesquicentennial celebration
ends.
All day tomorrow, the planning
group will consider the compre-
hensive plan and preparations for
It's 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 series
of monographs, dealing with
various phases of the master
plan.
Place Classified Ads
For SUNDAY Star Now