Evening star., 1949-04-24
President Urged
To Support Fund
For Expressway
II Millions Sought
By FoIIon; Maryland
Awards Contracts
By Don S. Worren


Representative Fallon, Demo.
erat. Of Maryland, yesterday ap'
pealed to President Truman II
back an. immediate $11 1000, ,00(
appropriation to speed completion
of the Washington Baltimore
Expressway as the Maryland Stat,
Roads Commission announced
award Of $7,600,000 in construction
contracts on the project.
The work for which contract.
we're announced will carry ths
divided expressway from the Bal.
timore City line to Hanover Road
distance of slightly more thar
eight miles. and 1t is planned tt
link the new route at this point
with Jessup near Fort Meade
some four and a quarter miles
nearer Washington.
Robert M. Reindollar. chairman
of the Maryland commission, said
another construction contract foi
about $1,000,000 will be let soon
The route will give access to the
new International airport at
Friendship and connect with the
Federal section" of the express
way between Washington and Fort
Meade.
Cites Several Factors.
In his Letter to the President,
Mr.. Fallon outlined several rea-
sons for completing the express
highway "now-not 10 or Is years
from now" These included next
years Sesquicentennial celebra-
ton of the founding of the Ma
tional Capital and the need to
relieve traffic on Route /. de-
scribed as notorious for its con-
gested conditions, high fatality
rate and unsightliness."
MIR, Reindollar said the Mary
land stretch will be "the finest
highway of its type yet built"
Plans are for two 24-foot REIN
forced concrete leanes separated
by a parkway 113 feet wide. with
the driving area to be widened to
two 40-foot lanes in the section
nearest Baltimore.
Mr.. Fallon estimated that the
total cost of the Maryland section
would be $13,357,9 $50 with the as
sistance of Federal road funds.
He pointed out that the 6.6 mile
stretch from the Baltimore City
line to the airport at Friendship
is already under construction. in
Guiding bridges and grade separa-
tions.
"The State of Maryland" he
added, "has contracted to expend
more on it's 12-mile section than
the Federal Government has on
it's 18-mile section OF the park
way"
Right Of way Acquired.
The right-of-way for the Fed
eral section of the expressway. be-
tween the District line cat Ana
costa Park and Fort Meade has
been acquired and six miles OF
this has been graded. This was
done, Mr.. Fallon recalled. under
an executive order of former
President Roosevelt, back in 1912,
allocating 100000 for this work.
He made a special point of this
in his appeal to President Truman
to aid in pdshing the project to
completion.
MIR. Fallon, chairman OF the
Roads Subcommittee of the House
Public Works Committee, said a
majority of the committee favors
completion of the road and "the
quicker the better" The COM
mittee now is considering a meas
ure to transfer permanent con-
troll over the Federal section OF
the parkway to the National Park
Service, which has jurisdiction
over the George Washington Me-
mortal Parkway to Mount Vernon
and other parks and parkways
Funds Necessary.
But the enactment of this bill, ]
he brought out, would not of itself
permit the immediate resumption
of work on the Washington-Fort
Meade section. If the proposed
s11 100000 supplemental funds
were granted, however, he said.
the Public Roads Administration
which has temporary jurisdiction
over the section and could i'm
mediately resume work.
Mai. Gen. U. S. Grant. III,
chairman of the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission,
and other officials, the letter
brought out, testified before the
Public Roads Committee that
Route / was zone of the most
crowded and dangerous roads in
the country" was the scene OF
many accidents. and though one
of the r t important traffic
arteries in this area. was its most
inadequate. I
The necessity for completion OF
the new, modern artery. Mr..
Fallon said. was conceded by
everyone.