Evening star., 1952-07-27
Work Begins
On Approach
10 New Bridge
East Capitol Street
Jobs Precede Bids
To Build Span

Dredging and excavation for
the west approach to the pro-
jected East Capitol street bridge
is expected to be completed with
in six months.
AS soon as this work is done,
contracts will be let for the be-
ginning of the bridge structure
itself, Highway Director John NJ.
Robertson announced yesterday.
The diggers and muckers start
ed to work last Monday on the
first part of the construction job.
One contracting company is
handling the dredging of King
man Lake, over which the 1900
foot bridge will pass before it
crosses the Anacostia River.
Another is excavating the land
between the National Guard Arm
ory and the east shoreline Of the
lake. The Army Engineers also
are digging at the shore edge to
remove and relocate a stone sea-
wall which they erected there
many years ago.
Work at Same Time,
All three outfits are doing their
jobs at the same time and are
confident their part of the bridge
project can be finished in as little
as three months.
The dredging is to remove some
100000 cubic yards of muck from
that part of the lake bottom on
which the west approach to the
bridge will be built.
A channel will be dredged
about $50 feet into the lake from
the present shoreline. This chan
mel then will be filled with sand
and gravel to height of about Is
feet above the shore level. Thus
a suitable roadbed will be provided
for the eight-lane approach.
To accomplish this part of the
project, the District had to get
Congressional authorization to
change the Kingman Lake shore
line. Ultimately, each side of the
roadway into the lake will be
filled with dirt to a distance Of
about so feet north and south.
To Make Solid Bed.
On the west shore itself, un-
suitable soil is being dug out BY
a team of mechanical shovels and
bulldozers to be hauled away for
less strategic fill purposes. In the
road area proper, harder material
will be used to form a solid road
bed. Excavation in parts of this
section may have to 60 as deep
as 80 feet.
The Army Engineers are taking
down their wall to save the stones
for reconstruction purposes once
the new Kingnnan Lake shoreline
is re-eStabliShed.
According to Mr.. Robertson, the
east shore approach to the bridge
does not require as much prepara-
tory work as the west shore. Some
fllllng-in there. however, will bei
necessary. he added. .
2O0-F0ot Tunnel Included.
The biggest part of the east
shore job is constructing an un-
derpass under Kenilworth avenue.
1t includes a tunnel of about ZOO
foot length under the Pennsyl-
vania railroad just east of Kenil-
worth avenue to Burns street. Al
together, East Capitol street will
burrow some 1000 feet from Ken
llWorth avenue to Burns street.
The bridge approaches actually
will require about three-fourths of
the SIG million estimated cost of
the project.
But while it is an admittedly
expensive venture. Mr.. Robertson
lis trying to save public pennies
wherever he can. For example.
whatever usable muck and top
soil that is being scraped or
sucked from the west approach
is being stockpiled for use by
the Trees and Parking Division.
They always need plenty Of
topsoil and the stuff costs about
So a cubic yard when you have
to buy it," Mr.. Robertson said.
And what we're getting out Of
the late bottom is the best land
of the upper Anacostia-and more
| than q little seasoned sewage"