Evening star., 1953-12-12
Planners Defer
Bridge Stand as
Session Nears
Congress to Find
Confused Situation
On Preferred Sites
By GEORGE Beveridoe

By George Beveridge
Congress will convene next
month with the Potomac River
bridge fight between District
road builders and planners still
enshrouded in confusion.
This was assured yesterday
as the National Capital Plan
ming Commission deferred until
a special January meeting a
vote as to what their stand on
the bridge issue will be.
Representative Broyhill. Re-
publican. of Virginia, who favors
new bridges both at e street
and at Jones Point, Alexandria,
said he plans to ask for hearings
on them as soon as Congress
meets. He, has urged a united
front be taken to Congress on
bridge needs.
The planning commission was
not expected, in any event, to
side with the District Commits
sioners and recommend that a
new downtown bridge be built
from E street NV. 1t had been
expected, however, that they
might agree on an alternative
bridge site.
Discuss Cost Estimates.
They spent most of an execu-
tive session Thursday. officials
said, discussing estimates de-
signed to compare costs of the
E street span and a possible
alternate bridge at Reaches
Run, just downriver from the
Fourteenth street railroad
bridge. They failed to agree on
what approach-road improve
ments should be included as
part of each bridges cost.
John Nolen, jr., planning COM
mission director. disclosed, how
ever, that new cost estimates
have been submitted for both
bridges by the District Highway
Department. The department
made both the original and re-
vised estimates.
Cost figures for the E street
bridge, he said, have been re-
vised upward from $50 million
to 1925 million.
Cost figures for the Reaches
Run bridge, he said, have been
revised downward for several
plans, each of which attributes
different approach road improve
ments to the bridge cost. The re-
ductions. he said. would have
the bridges cost ranging from
$26 million to SAG million.
The planners then decided to
postpone a vote until the special
session next month.
Data Held Sufficient.
Harland Bartholomew, COM
mission chairman, said he felt
enough data was in hand to ex-
press a stand on bridge ques-
tlons but that some members
wanted to give it more study.
Another factor in the delay.
he said, was the new SLOT mill
lion highway improvement pro-
posal for nearby Virginia. SUBJ
mitted by consultants to the
State Legislature. One of the
consultants' proposals was for
new river bridge in the precise
location downriver from the ex-
listing Highway Bridge as the
Reaches Run proposal.
The conSultants noted that
most of the improvements would
have to be financed py the Fed
eral Government. State highway
officials have not commented on
whether they agree with the con-
SultantS' findings.
Want Reaction.
Mr.. Bartholomew said his
group would like very much,
however, to have one State Of
flcials' reaction He said Re per-
sonally liked much OF the study
but disagreed with at least one
part-the dim view the consult
ants took on the need for an
outer belt road which would link
proposed bridges at Jones Point
and Cabin John. Md.
The planners agreed before
the January meeting to seek
reactions on the Virginia report
also from its own staff the Ma
tional Park Service and the
Washington Regional Highway
Planning Committee. The latter
group is made up of represent
atives of the District, Maryland
and Virginia.
On other matters before the
planners yesterday:
/. Mr.. Bartholomew proposed
that the commission appoint
committees to consider DETAILS
of special projects and make the
group work more expeditions
ly." Often. he said, I've seem
to be so absorbed with details OF
current planning matters we're
not doing much in the way Of
advance planning"
Consideration for Slums.
2. The chairman named spe-
cial committee to report next
month on whether the commits
sion should revise general plans
for Slum clearance and rede-
velopment in Southwest WASH
ington. Several organizations
have urged that the present plan
be "upgraded" to provide for a
rebuilding of the Southwest
which would make better use OF
the areas natural beauty and
bring the city higher tax
return.
3. The planners decided they
have no policy jurisdiction on
proposals to destroy the old Pat
ent Office Building at Eighth
and F streets NV, now used by
the Civil Service Commission.
and use the site for q parking
oarooa Thav aSkod however