Evening star., 1952-09-30
S6MiAion Urged
For RoadsFr
General Fund
Could Restore Sum
By Raising U. S.
Payment, Group Says
By John w. Stepp

by John w. SfePp
The District highway func
should be allowed to recover $6.1
million annual revenues now going
into the general fund. the high
way subcommittee of the Citizens
Advisory Committee on Public
Works said today.
The $6.2 million siphoned from
the general fund would be re.
placed by increasing the Fedora
payment to the District. under the
subcommittee recommendations.
The step is essential to realiz.
ing a 1864 million plan to make
sweeping improvements in the
Districts highway system over g
six or seven year period, the sub
committee concluded.
At the same time, the parking
subcommittee recommended a bar
on street parking in Washington
downtown business district, plus
creation of some 1000 new Off
street parking spaces at cost ol
about $50 million,
Although the parking report
contained a series Of recommends
tions to solve the parking problems
of the city, it urged that every
thing be turned over to a perma-
nent committee of experts to study.
The report, prepared by Charles
B. Dulcan, sr., chairman of the
subcommittee, said the members
were not expert enough to come
UP with definite solutions.
Construction Program Endorsed.
The highway subcommittee, in
its report, gave a down-the-line
Endorsement to the construction
program submitted earlier this
year by the Regional Highway
Committee. The original plan
of the regional group called for
expenditure of $140 million over
o 10-year-period. e.
Recommendations Of the sub
committee, headed by H. Randolph
Maddox, president of the Chesa-
peake & Potomac Telephone Co..
were approved by the full Public
Works Committee.
The Maddox group offered their
proposed method of financing
after deciding against raising
taxes as remedy. The subcom-
mittee estimated that, in the six
year immediate needs" project
normal highway fund revenues
chiefly the scent gasoline tax
should provide $42.5 million. This
leaves a deficit of $3.50 million, il
the highway improvements are to
be realized.
Federal Loan Weighed.
In rejecting higher taxes as a
solution, the group studied the
possibility of getting a Federal
loan or floating a bond issue. But
the latter course, too, was opposed.
It would be "unwise" and would
lead ultimately to the accumula-
ton of huge public debt" mort
gaging the future to pay for cur
rent needs" the subcommittee
found.
Consequently, highway and
vehicular revenue sources were
examined. with the result that the
committee decided that one third
of such revenues were being di-
verted into the general fund
rather than the highway fund.
This source represents such
taxes as the personal property
levies on vehicles and the auto
mobile excise taxes. The total in
take came to more than half of
the $12 million in the highway
fund this fiscal year.
The subcommittee offered a
suggestion on how the citizenry
could be put to work on the
project.
Twenty-Five outstanding mem
bers of the community should be
appointed and trained in budget
matters. Each of the % should
then be assigned to button-hole
five Senators and Representatives
serving on the District and Ap-
preparations Committees of both
Houses. All told, there are 11C
legislators on these four COM
mittees.
Plan Favored in Poll.
Perhaps, with this approach
the subcommittee said, the Dis
trict could sell the need for more
equitable Federal participation.
In arriving at its conclusion to
indorse the well-publiciZed high
way plan, the subcommittee polled
% local civic and business organ
izations. Members found that the
groups contacted favored, seven
to-one, the overall concept stressed
by the plan.
Here are the projects, as the
committee set them up in five
groups:
Group 1. East Capitol Street
, Bridge, and its approaches-al-
ready under way-that include the
extension of New York avenue
NE. and the paving of South Da-
kota avenue. Eleven major
projects involved, all told. Cost:
S14,006,250.
Group 2. The inner-loop to clear
downtown congestion. This is the
program of widening streets, set
ting up many one-way thorough
fares. TWenty-one major projects
Cost: $26.947, ,791.
To Downtown Area.
Group 8. Improving and provid.
ing new arterial and radial street!
from the outlying sections tx
downtown area. Thirteen majol
projects. Cost: $50,384.141.
Group 4. Crosstown route in th'
vicinity of Irving street and cut
ting through Soldiers Home. Twt
major projects. Cost, 81, ,689, ,S51
Group 5. Miscellaneous prof.
ects, including the Minnesota
Pennsylvania avenues Sc. inter
.orf;on devel0Onent. and bridge,