Evening star., 1950-08-04
P| Planners View
New Friendship
Airport Today
Trip May Aid Choice
Of Site for Proposed
New Civilian AirfieId

Baltimore's new Friendship Air
port was being inspected toda.
by members and technicians O.
the National Capital Park ane
Planning Commission who will
have a hand in determining thu
location Of the proposed $14 mil.
lion additional civilian airfiele
for the Washington area.
Commission members have beer
studying available airport sites il
the Washington area for severa
years and expect to pick up some
new ideas as a result of theil
Baltimore trip.
The inspection trip brings thu
August planning session to close
The next meeting will be hele
September 14-15. On the way tt
Friendship Airport, the planner!
will pass over the route of the
Baltimore Washington parkway
to see the sections already graded
and improved. They worked fol
years to help put the parkway
over.
President Truman yesterday
singed a bill for completion of
the Federal section of the express
way. This section runs from Jes-
supS road near Fort Meade, to the
District. a distance of about 19
miles. The Maryland portion of
the dual-lane parkway stretches
II miles from Fort Meade to
Baltimore and includes a spur
linking 1t with the new airport.
Delay Seen on Report.
A delay of several more
months" may be expected in pub
lication of the commissions So
called comprehensive plan for the
metropolitan area. 1t may be
November before the summary of
the report rolls off the press.
At the conclusion of yesterdays
deliberations, the Commission
directed its Co-ordinating Com
mittee to meet with Fred Kramer
assistant to the Architect of the
Capitol to map extension of the
Capitol grounds to conform with
long-range plans decided on a de-
cade ago.
These include construction OF
the proposed Constitution and In
dependence avenue underpaSses
previously indorsed as part of the
plan for the East Capitol street
parkway.
The commission is also desirous
of comforting about the tunnel
that eventually will serve a new
Senate Office Annex. Earlier in
the day approval was given a bill
authorizing the District Commis-
sioners to widen and improve
Independence avenue and B street
in the vicinity of the Capitol
grounds.
Two Bills Endorsed.
Endorsements also were given
two other pending bills. One of
these affects the proposed Poto-
mac River parkway from Great
Falls to Cumberland, Md. The
other is for protection of the Mt.
Vernon highway from private real
estate entertainments below Alex
andria.
The commission is interested in
preserving the route of the old
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal to
Cumberland and for this reason
is supporting legislation author
tzing the Interior Department to
accept lands from Maryland to
widen the proposed parkway along
this route. The bill recently was
reported favorably from the House
Public Lands Committee.
Below Alexandria, in the vicin-
ity of Hunting Creek, it was said
the Mt. Vernon highway is pro-
tected by only a narrow strip of
land. A bill introduced by Rep
resentative Bolton, Republican,
Ohio, would authorize the pur-
chase of 80 acres between the
highway and the river. 1t was
believed the acquisition is neces-
sary to prevent private encroach-
ments on the scenic parkway.
Soldiers Home Tract.
John Nolen, jr., planning direc-
tor, made a progress report on
proposed improvements in the U.
S. Soldiers Home tract. The Dis
trict Commissioners intend to hold
a public hearing soon on the plan
to extend North Capitol street
through the grounds to hook up
with other streets. It would be
given width of 160 feet through
the grounds and a 10O-foot width
in the vicinity of Taylor street or
!. the north. The proposed exten-
j. sion would be 11s miles.
The effect of the public hearing
would be to determine if the North
Capitol street extension is to be
placed On the Districts highway
plan. A veterans hospital to be
erected on $50 acres of the tract
which would increase traffic con-
Siderably.
Other matters receiving ap.
. proval at the final session in.
cluded suggested setbacks for the
new wings to be erected for the
National Museum on Constitution
avenue. Sufficient allowance will
be made for the future Twelfth
street underpass through the Mall
i The wings on each side of the
museum building would be o.
equal length.
Satisfaction was expressed with
the plans outlined by the newly
established Upper Montgomer.
County Planning Commission
Fred Gutheim, a member, ex
planned the master plan which
the group recently approved.
The areas embraced in the plar
4 are outside those over which tn,
Maryland-NCPPC has supervision