Evening star., 1952-12-11
Planners 10 Take Up Personnel Of 4Major
Report on Problems Of Units for Inaugural
Future Potomac Spans Transportation Named

The National Capital Planning
Commission. during a two-day
session opening today, will hear a
special committees report on the
knotty problem of the location of
future Potomac River bridges.
The committee, composed of
Conrad L. Wirth, director. Ma
tional Park Service; Thomas H
Macdonald, commissioner of
public roads; w. E. Reynolds,
commissioner of public buildings,
and Engineer Commissioner Ber-
nard L. Robinson, was formed in
October and ordered to report
back at this meeting.
At least three reports, contain
ing differing approaches to the
bridge problem, have been studied
by the committee. The most con-
troversial proposal, calling for a
bridge across the river at E street,
is urged in a report prepared for
the District Commissioners.
To Study Traffic Data.
NCPC officials also intended to
study new data from the District
Highway Department on the in
tensity of traffic which would be
routed into the city by the pro-
posed bridges.
The bridge issue will be raised
tomorrow.
Up for debate this afternoon
will be proposals to kill or relax
restrictions on the number OF
floors permitted in Washington
buildings which are limited to
heights of 110 or 130 feet. The
proposals will be aired before the
District Zoning Commission at a
public hearing next Tuesday.
Other subjects to be considered
tomorrow, when the business SeS-
sion hits full swing, include:
l. New District Highway De-
partment plans to improve main
approaches to the proposed East
Capitol street bridge.
2. Preliminary site plans, out
lining streets which will serve the
proposed District hospital center
and the proposed veterans hos
pital on the Soldiers Home
grounds.
Public Works Resolution.
! 3. A special resolution, drafted
by a NCPC subcommittee, on the
1919 million public works program
/. proposed for the District by q
special citizens group.
4. A discussion of reaction to
! the NCPC's plan for the rede-
velopment of Southwest Wash
Iington. The group also will make
plans for attending a District
Commissioners public hearing
December II on the initial 76-
acre Southwest slum clearance
: project.
/ 5. Review of the National
i Capital Housing Authority's re-
quest of a site in Kenilworth for
Its proposed Lily Ponds public
housing development. Part of the
land involved repeatedly figures
in plans for road connection be-
tween the Baltimore Washington
and the Anacostia Parkways.
! 6. A review of the Maryland
National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commissions newly pro-
posed highway plan for Mont
gomery and Prince Georges
Counties.
Plan for Bridge Approaches.
The new District highway plan
flor approaches to the East Capitol
Street Bridge calls for:
/. Widening of Kenilworth
avenue into a non-access. divided
freeway from the bridge north
ward to the District line.
2. Widening of East Capitol
street into a divided road, with
traffic lights governing access to
it, from Minnesota avenue to the
District line.
The preliminary site plans for
the two. hospitals on the Soldiers
Home grounds, officials said. call
for access roads to the area by
Extending North Capitol street as
an eastern boundary, constructing
an East-West expressway to bound
the hospitals on the north.
Public buildings officials said
preliminary drawings are now un-
der way for the $21.7 million, 300
bed hospital center. which will
lcnra hine tho nresent facilities of