Evening star., 1953-02-09
Super-HighWay
Plan Blasted at
ChevyChdse
Citizens Denounce
Rouds Commission
On Secret Methods

The Maryland State Roads
Commission is under attack for
alleged secrecy" in drawing up
plans for a proposed super-high-
way through the Chevy Chase
area that would pour a new
heavy load of traffic onto East
West Highway.
A newly formed Citizens Ac-
ton Committee for Fair High
way Planning last night leveled
the blast at the roads commits
sion. The group is headed by
Gerald P. Nye, former Senator
from North Dakota.
The group suggested that the
ultimate aim of the new plan is
the opening of Rock Greek Park
in the District and Maryland for
commercial traffic on a six-lane
super highway.
Oppose alternate B."
The group specifically is OBJ
jecting to what they call alter
nate B" plan for construction of
the southeast leg of Route 240
from the vicinity of GroSvenor
lane and Wisconsin avenue to a
terminal point on East-West
highway in the vicinity of Beach
drive. The road planned, they
say, calls for the route to follow
the east boundary of the Bethes-
da Naval Hospital, cross Jones
Bridge road via an overpass and
head southeasterly across Con-
necticut avenue by way of an
overpass The latter overpass
would be 100 yards south of Jones
Bridge road and would call for
an elaborate cloverleaf inter-
change there.
The route then would cross
over the Baltimore & Ohio Rail-
road by overpass and, elevated
to about rooftop level, would pro-
ceed along Cocquelin run over
Jones Mill road coming into
East-West highway, the group
asserts.
Would Preserve Park.
The original plan made public
recently in the State Highway
Commissions 12-year program
called for the southeast leg of
Route 240 to run considerably
north of Jones Bridge road and
then along Rock Greek Park to
East-West highway.
The group today began circu-
lation of a petition calling for
abandonment of Alternate B
plan, the preservation of Rock
Creek Park against commercial
use and the use of established
and existing regional planning
agencies.
The new committee, which in-
cludes representatives from nine
citizens associations in the
Chevy Chase area, contends the
reported Alternate B plan would
pass through more heavily popu-
lated areas than the original
route. They say this would
greatly injure the value of their
property.
j. B. Hartranft, jr., vice chair
man of the committee said ''it
was only by coincidence that the
Skullduggery was discovered in
Baltimore. He said the State
Roads Commission made no
bones about supporting the new
route.
Secrecy Attacked.
To support their charges of
secrecy, the group said School
Board officials are constructing
a new school on Jones Bridge
road which would lose three
acres of its tract because of the
Alternate B routes location.
1--WE insist that Alternate B
route has been conceived under
a veil of unprecedented mystery
demanding public investigation"
the group said.
They charge that the plans
had been completed and okayed
prior to formal submission of
the commissions construction
maps to the General Assembly.
Representatives of the COM
mittee are slated to meet at
II am. Thursday in Annapolis
with the Montgomery County
delegation to the General As
Sembly.