Evening star., 1951-01-04
Memorial Bridge
To Get Asphalt
Paving in Spring
Temporary Reporting
Of Uneven Surface
To Sturt immediately
By Nelson M. Shepard

'NSsSSb fvts ~HVH0t0
Decision has finally been
reached to smooth the rough sur
face of Arlington Memorial Bridge
with ordinary asphalt paving in
stead Of replacing the old granite
blocks of the roadway.
Settlement of a long standing
controversy between the aesthetic
granite and the more practical
asphalt-involving at least three
Federal agencies - will release
$207.000 appropriated a year ago
for repairs to the important Po-
tomac span.
While the controversy ragged,
motorists who make $4,000 cross
ings on an average work day have
found the going rougher and more
dangerous. Many were beginning
to despair of relief.
Immediate Action.
Temporary relief will come
Immediately" the National Cap
ital Parks assured, when the worst
holes and depressions are filled in
with rock asphalt pending COM
pletion of a permanent resurfac-
ing job. NCP has requested the
Public Roads Administration to
proceed with the job as promptly
as the weather permits.
After months of stalemate, the
Commission of Fine Arts was
called in to act as arbiter in the
dispute over asphalt versus gram
ite blocks. That body, which
favored granite blocks at the time
Memorial Bridge was built.
dumped the question back into
the laps of park and road officials.
Harry T. Thompson, associate
superintendent of National Capt.
tai Parks who carried the torch OF
aestheticism throughout the fight.
said, "We are hopeful the resur-
facing job will be completed be-
fore the Spring tourist season
opens"
To Enlarge Islands.
After the temporary asphalt
job is done, engineers will enlarge
and extend the existing traffic
island at each end of the bridge.
This will permit more rapid flow
Of traffic, voiding a slight bottle
neck.
Next, the Federal road officials
will remove the present granite
paving blocks and substitute. as
phalt paving. A contract will
have to be let. This probably will
result in further delay as bills
are invited and studied. Once
the contract is awarded, the job
will be done quickly. Mr.. Thomp-
son said. II. j. Spelman, district
engineer for the Public Roads Ad-
ministration, will have charge Of
construction.
Despite one bad traffic accident
two years ago, Investigations show
Memorial Bridge is about as safe
sor traffic as Highway or Key
Bridges. The granite blocks, how
ever. have worn smooth and thin.
They are slippery in wet weather
end skidding is the worst danger
offered. Mr.. Thompson sought a
wsv to correct this by roughening
the smooth surface.
Motorists also contend the road
ped. itself, is so uneven that many
lefuse to use the bridge on daily
tIipS to and from work.
New Curbing to Wait.
The road officials held out for
asphalt. After the Fine Arts Com
mission. declined to take a definite
stsnd in favor of granite blocks.
Mr.. Thompson and the National
Park Service threw in the towel.
The Fine Arts Commission, it was
said, found the proposed retention
Of granite in line with its general
policy of upholding the aesthetics.
But in view of the safety involved
and the need for expediency. it
placed no obstacle in the way of
the highway officials.
The situation was usual because
Congress had provided the needed
appropriation. This remained un-
spent for months during the con-
troversy. Mr.. Thompson, who is
in charge of such matters of NCP.
said the asphalt surfacing would
not require the full SPOT, 900.
Officials said the installation
of new curbing on the bridge
should be held up on account of
the need of saving money, ma
terials and manpower. Work on
the regular repaving job should
be started about the end of
March, it was said.
Mr.. Thompson, for one, hoped
the job would be completed before
the spring ceremony in connec-
ton with the dedication of the
equestrian statues for the Wash
ington entrance to Memorial
Bridge. These are being cast in
bronze in Tta1y