Evening star., 1953-03-21
Proposes
Sites 10 Build
7 New Bridges
Highway OfficioIs,
Planners at Odds
Over Locations
By George Beveridee

Oy george DeVeTtu9e
A long g-standing hassle over
the need and location Of new
Potomac River bridge to serve
downtown Washington appeared
even muddier than usual today.
Responsible were two develop
mentS, which yesterday pin
pointed basic differences between
planners of the National Capital
Planning Commission and the
District Highway Department.
They were:
1. A proposal by John Nolen.
jr., NCPC planning director, that
the long-range need for more
downtown river crossings be re-
studied. If such projects are
justified, he proposed two new
spans. One would be just above
Key Bridge. the other just below
the Highway Bridge.
2. A renewed drive by District
highway officials for immediate
approval of a bridge to Virginia
from E street NV, extending
across the Theodore Roosevelt
Memorial Island. They said the
traffic on the rivers three main
bridges, for the first time, has
exceeded the rush-hour capacity
of the bridges. The only prospect
in sight, they warned fatty, is
longer and longer delays for
peak-hour motorists.
Would Spread Bridges.
The NCPC approved a resolu-
ton, stating in general that
Potomac bridges should be spread
apart as far as practicable so
ruSh-hour autos can bypass the
most congeSted areas.
The group, however, took no
definite action on Mr.. Nolens
dual-bridge idea at a commission
meeting yesterday. Instead, it
sent the proposal to the District
Highway Department for study
and comment. There was no evil
dence it would get anything but
a chilly reception.
Douglas Brinkley. chief PLAN
ming engineer for the Highway
Department, said surveys made
during January and February
showed Virginia. bound traffic on
the Kay. Memorial and Highway
Bridges exceeded the bridges ac-
cepted capacities between the
hour of S and 6 pm. The High
way Bridge, he said, with a
capacity of 1.700 cars per lane
per hour, had an average of L.
736. Memorial. with a capacity
of 1,400. carried 1853. Key, with
a capacity of 1880. carried 1888.
Sees Longer Waits Ahead.
Mr.. Brinkley said it is dis
tressing and alarming . that,
from now on, such motorists
will begin to experience longer
and longer waits to get on the
bridges"
StreSSing that his main pur.
pose is to get a new bridge under
way, the District engineer said
his groups voluminous studies
always come back to the need
for bridge at E street." Urging
agreement on a bridge site, he
said it would require about four
years to get crossing built.
Mr.. Nolen, however, raised two
questions which, he said, might
draStically affect the need for
such a bridge during the next
several years.
One, he said, is a possible re-
duction in the number of Fed
eral offices concentrated in the
congested central part Of town.
Elimination of temporary build
ingS might contribute to such
reduction and redistribution, he
said. The second is the current
drive to improve mass transport
tation facilities, which might
make bus riding attractive to
more commuters.
NOlen Pin-points Sites.
If the need for new crossings
is borne out. Mr.. Nolen said, his
two-bridge proposal would serve
to draw traffic away from the
most congested points. Stressing
that the proposal is in a pre-
liminary stage. he said it calls
for:
l. A bridge just below the
Highway and Railroad Bridges,
extending in a straight line
across Potomac Park and WASH
ington Channel to connect with
Tenth street S.W. and the pro-
posed Southwest IF street, Free
way. This would result in a cost
saving, Mr.. Nolen said, since
plans are in the mill anyway for
a channel crossing.
2. A bridge in one of two or
three locations on the up-river
side Of the Key Bridge.
The site he favors for the lat.
ter, Mr.. Nolan said, would ex-
tend from the intersection of
Macarthur boulevard and Canal
road to a point on the George
Washington Memorial parkway
between Spout Run and Key
Bridge. Another possibility, he
said. would be a bridge extend
ing from Thirty fifth street
NV, parallel to Key Bridge. If
the latter were approved, he said,
1t might be feasible to make
Key Bridge and the new span
each one way.
Would Extend "Inner Ring"
The major effect of his pro-
posal. Mr.. Nolen told reporters.
would be to extend to the Vir-
ginia shore a southern part Of
the city's Inner ring" net
work. He said he hit upon
the moving part of the inner
ring because of the great ex-