Evening star., 1953-05-23
City Heads 10 Fight
For f Street Bridge
As Planners Object
By George Beveridoe

There was every indication to-
day the District Commissioners
will take the fight for an E street
bridge directly to Capitol Hill,
despite opposition from the Ma
tional Capitol Planning Com
mission.
The planners yesterday ducked
a direct policy statement against
the E street bridge. Instead, they
urged further study" of the need
for another downtown river span,
as part of a nine-point proposal
suggesting other steps to ease
cross-river traffic.
Earlier, however, the Planning
Commission made it's position
clear by beating down a motion
by the Districts Engineer, Com
missioner, Brig. Gen. Louis w.
PrentisS. urging immediate con-
struction of the E street span.
OF the nine members present,
only John A. Remon, Washing
ton citizen member, supported
Gen. Prentiss.
Arizona Avenue Bridge.
With the general and Mr..
Remon dissenting, the commits
sion then voted its nine-point
program, which stressed i'm
provements to existing bridges
to move more cars across the
river faster. One of the points,
however, did suggest a new span
at Arizona avenue-upriver from
Key Bridget further study"
shows it would be helpful.
Gen. Prentiss emphasized that
he is completely in favor of max
ing drastic improvements to
existing bridges. as we'll as to
their District and Virginia ap-
proaches.
But he contended that not
even one, lane of the bridges.
already hitting peak-hour ca
pacity, should be closed off for
repair until new bridge had
been constructed to ease the
traffic load.
Absolutely Essential
IT think the E street bridge
is absolutely essential" he told
reporters. II can't understand
the reasoning behind the thought
that We can provide essential
crossings by these other means"
The general indicated he would
ask his fellow District Commits
sioners Monday to approve the
E street proposal. The next step,
he said. would be submission to
Congress of a report on bridge
needs. An interim report was
submitted last fall. but the final
document was held up in the
move for NCPC support.
The District is asking Con-
gress in the current budget re-
quest for 100000 to plan CEN
trail area crossing, which District
officials want to lead from E
street NV. across the river to
connect with Arlington boule-
ward near the Memorial Bridge.
Gen. Prentiss made clear a hope
that NCPC action would not en-
danger the. city's chance of get
ting the planning money. In the
past. Congress has supported the
District in disputes with the
planners.
: Nearly Year of Debate.
Yesterdays action was the cli-
max to almost a year of debate
on the bridge question. with the
E street span the central issue.
Basis for the NCPC vote was
q nine-page document prepared
by DR. Joseph D. Lohman, COM
mission chairman, outlining the
bridge dispute history and con-
tanning most of the recommen-
dations adopted. The document
noted the NCPC last December
called for immediate construc-
ton of river crossing "to serve
the central area" of Washing
ton.
The statement contended,
however, that such a crossing
need not necessarily be "a new
bridge fronting directly on the
central area" In effect, it ar
gued that the downtown area
might better be served by
bridges which would carry
through traffic away from the
downtown area and relieve pres
sure on existing spans.
1t said the Districts proposed
inner ring road network should
not be subverted" to function
of distributing traffic pouring
off a new bridge. It said new
bridges should insure peri
pheral or tangential approach
to the central area, rather than
at points which would further
complicate the traffic problem.
The fifth of the nine points
proposed bv DR.. Lehman did