Evening star., 1950-03-07
District Officials
|DebateSiteof
.Anacostia Span
Gen. Young Pushes
{. Capitol Street Plan; ;
Wurster Fights 1t
By Don S. Worren

SSb w VSttCu
District officials today traded
more punches before House sub
committee in their seven-month
battle over the location of a new
Anacostia River bridge.
District Engineer Commissioner
Gordon r. Youngs carried the
fight of the city heads for legis-
lation to fix the site on the line
of East Capitol street. Spokes-
men for the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission
before a House Dis
trict subcommittee that the bridge
should be built farther down the
stream on the line of Massachu-
sets avenue.
Gen. Young referred to demands
of the planning commission that
bottlenecks at the Sousa and
Benning Bridges be corrected be-
fore the East Capitol span is
approved. The Engineer Commits
sioner said underpasses or over
passes would be needed at either
ends OF these spans and that if
these projects were done concur
rently, "the resulting delays and
confusions in traffic would be in
conceivable"
appalling Congestion" Feared.
To this, he added: II can
imagine a situation wherein this
would be a matter of national
concern"
Not only would appalling con-
gestion" result if this "bottleneck"
work were done ahead of the new
Anacostia crossing, Gen. Young
said, but that the work would cost
sos million and require from two
to five years. BY that time, he
said, it is possible that these
bridges again would be overloaded.
William w. Wurster, chairman
of the Park and Planning Com
mission, fought just as hard to
keep the East Capitol site from
approval. He raised fears that
choice of this site might lead to
development of highways through
the National Arboretum and
through park areas at the end
OF East Capitol street and at
Kingman Lake.
Wurster Cites DISADVANTAGES.
Mr.. Wurster. who is dean Of
architecture and planning Of
Massachusetts Institute of Tech
nology. told the subcommittee:
Beautiful natural valleys and
cliffs are not easily come by and
the Arboretum possesses these at
the edge of the Anacostia. The
garden clubs of America have CO.
operated with Arboretum to make
this place one of rare beauty.
There are many of us who feel
that a study of all the crossings
might do away with this threat
now and in the future"
Urging protection Of the park
areas at the foot of East Capitol
street and at Kingman Lake, Mr..
Wurster said. If these be ringed
and divided by a highway net
work then they are lost forever.
We are spending millions of dol
lars in redevelopment in an at
tempt to bring the beauty and
openness of the country into the
city. Here we have it already
why destroy it2"
Debate Is Inconclusive.
Mr.. Wurster. said the planning
body had made two other stipu-
lations: That all present cross
ings be brought to efficient use
(Sousa and Benning Bridges are
called lazy" because of their ap-
proach bottlenecks), and that any
new crossing should serve to con-
meet with the new Washington
Baltimore Freeway.
The debate today was incon-
elusive. After 2Ea hours, the ses-
sion was adjourned until 10 am.
Thursday.
Two members of Congress spoke
UP for the Commissioners East
Capitol street plan. They were
Representatives Sasscer, Demo-
crat, of Maryland and Beall, Re-
publican. of Maryland. In addi-
ton, Russell Mccain, a member Of
the Maryland State Roads Com
mission. said the East Capitol
street site would fit better with
the plans of Maryland for road
connections with Washington.
Gen. Young was supported by
Douglas S. Brinkley, head of the
planning division of the Highway
Department. He presented mass
OF figures, Illustrated by a series
OF maps, to show that a 1948
origin and destination" survey
solidly supported the East Capitol
street plan. as against Massachu-
setts avenue as the site for the
next bridge to be built.