Evening star., 1950-03-24
Fund Cut Delays
Improving Road
To Mi. Vernon
Highway Condition
Called 'DisgrocefuI'
By Park Officials
BY Nelson M. Shepard

GA n OAAASlo1o Sdl1Cu dtUGIlJlOll
today to the "disgraceful' con-
dition of the Mount Vernon Me-
mortal Highway between the rail-
way bridge and National Airport
and deplored the refusal of the
House Appropriations Committee
to grant funds for improvement.
The action dims the hope of
motorists who use this road regu-
larly that the inadequate four
traffic lanes would be replaced by
a new six-lane parkway within the
next year.
Supt. Irving C. Root of National
Capital Parks also pointed out no
relief is in sight for remedying
the very bad" condition of other
sections of the highway. unless
the Senate comes to the rescue.
The policy of the House Com
mlttee. Interior Department Of
ficials' explained, would deprive
the George Washington Memorial
Parkway of nearly 81 million Of
new construction funds for the
1851 fiscal year if it stands. The
Mount Vernon Highway Is the
most important and most used
link.
Paving Contract Awarded.
Meanwhile, it developed that
the only new construction assured
Is the stretch above Key Bridge
through Spout Run Valley con-
Meeting with the Lee Highway.
Under currently available funds,
the contract for paving this scenic
link was formally awarded to w.
H. Scott, Inc.
Even so, officials pointed out,
this short cut diverting cars to
downtown Washington is nearly
a year behind schedule, with mo-
torists and neighboring property
owners "fretting" at the delay.
Unless Congress restores the
omitted items for the George
Washington Parkway, the i'm
provement of sinking portions of
the Mount Vernon link and grad
Ing of a stretch on the Maryland
side of Great Falls will have to
be postponed indefinitely.
The hydraulic fill on which the
roadbed of the Mount Vernon
Highway was built has been a
problem to motorists and park
officials for years. 1t would be
difficult to estimate the money
spent from year to year in patch
ing up bad sections of the roadbed,
now characterized as "a stretch
Of terrific bumps"
To put the roadway in repair
and broaden it to the airport,
$157,300 was sought. Two other
items of $75,500 were requested to |
reconstruct a half-mile stretch ati
-Four Mile Run, just outside Alex
andria, and a bad stretch at
Hunting Greek on the Alexandria
boundary. There is another bad
stretch along the Boundary Chan
mel upstream from the Highway
Bridge.
The principal item in continu-
ing the George Washington High
way was one for $667,100 in the
budget requests to grade three
miles along the Potomac River
from Anglers Inn to Great Falls.
Practically all the property need
ed for the parkway in the 10-mile
route from Great Falls to the
District Line has been acquired
through the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission.
That agency has funds now to
continue this acquisition.
Obstacles In Virginia.
The situation on the Maryland
side, according to Thomas c.
Jeffers. landscape architect of the
planning commission. is much
better than that on the Virginia
side. Many obstacles have been
encountered, and the acquisition
of property to Great Falls on the
Virginia side is far from being
completed.
Work on paving the stretch
above Key Bridge to Lorcom
Lane, through Spout Run Valley,
is expected to begin soon, Off
cials said. The paving job alone
will cost $276,027. An agreement
has been reached with the Wash
ington g. Old Dominion Railroad
to build a railroad crossing to
include flashing lights for the
protection of motorists. It will
cost $2,560 according to estimates.
In addition, it will take $94, ,905
to provide gravel base for the
concrete on the divided roadway.
This important link was
authorized to reduce the traffic
load at RoSslyn Circle.