Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-20
De|egateSees
ExpressWaY as
Burden on State
Baltimore Delegate
Cites Truck Use
Of Maryland End
By Gene Goodwin
Stor Stoff Correspondent

SfoF Sfotf correspondent -r.
ANNAPOLIS, Feb. 2O.-Mary.
land might have q white ele-
plant on its hands If it takes
over the Federal end of the
Baltimore Washington express
way, a leader Of the Maryland
House Of Delegates said yester.
day.
Delegate Jerome Robinson, in
fluential Baltimore City Demo-
crat. told the House that "the
members Of Congress who have
been urging the Federal Gov .
eminent to turn over its part Of
the expressway to Maryland
should realize that they may be
saddling the people of Mary
land with tremendous burden"
Russell H. Mccain, chairman
Of the State Roads Commission,
told the House Ways and Means
Committee Wednesday he is
concerned that the Federal part
Of the road might not stand up
to truck traffic. It is not being
built to the same standards
Maryland used in constructing
its section of the expressway be-
tween Baltimore and Jessup, he
said.
Two Inches Thinner.
Mr.. Mccain did not elaborate,
but Thomas E. Waterman, gen.
eral manager of the Maryland
Motor Truck Association, said
yesterday the Maryland section
Of the road has a 10-inch pave
ment, and the Federal end is
2 inches thinner.
Mr.. Waterman, who said he
obtained his information from
Mr.. Mccain, also told reporters
he understands the sub-grade
on the Federal end is inferior to
Maryland's.
He said that on the basis of
what he knows now, he agrees
with Mr.. Mccain that the Fed
eral end of the expressway
would not stand up under heavy
truck traffic.
Offer Yet to Be Made.
Actually. no one has offered
the road to Maryland yet. If
an offer is made. Congress would
have to approve. The Maryland
officials interest is based on re-
ports the Interior Department
has such move under study.
BY way of preparation. State
roads officials said they hoped to
have a comparison of the two
sections construction next week.
Federal Bureau of Public
Roads officials in Washington, in
charge of the Federal section.
said they weren't familiar with
details of the State part.
One Federal official, however.
told The Star the essential diff
ference was that the Federal
part was planned for automo-
biles and has an eight-inch-
thick pavement. as against
Maryland's 10-inch thickness.
He said he thought sub-bases
were similar, both composed of
sandy soil. He noted, however,
that Maryland permits an un-
usually high maximum truck
weight and designs its roads &C
cordingly.
Section for Heavy Use.
The Federal section, he said,
is designed to handle heavy mill
tary vehicles. But such use, he
said. would only be occasional.
II the road were to be subjected
constantly to heavy vehicles, de-
signers would have taken into
consideration what they call the
fatigue element"-changes that
occur slowly due to constant
pounding by heavy trucks.
officials said the Federally-
constructed Suitland parkway,
with nine-inch paving, is in
excellent shape" after carrying
truck traffic for nine years. But
its truck volume is nothing like
that which would be on the
Baltimore Washington parkway
If its Federal section were
opened to trucks.
One of the strongest hackers
of the transfer is the Washing
ton-Baltimore Boulevard Asso-
citation, an organization of home
owners and business interests
along the present boulevard.
They see the proposal as a way
of getting some trucks off the
boulevard.
Small Pledges Support.
The association has gotten q
pledge Of support from Repre-
sentative Small. Republican. of
Maryland.
Mr.. Robinson, in his speech,
was critical of truckers who are
using the Maryland part of the
road in increasing numbers. He
said that, during hearings last
year on his ater-defeated bill to
ban trucks on the eXpressway,
the Maryland motor truck in
duStry agreed that they would
cooperate and keep the trucks
off that road voluntarily.
He said he believes Mr.. Wider
mans association has made an
attempt to live up to this agree
ment, but individual truckers are
ignoring it.
If this weren't 30-day SEES
sion and our docket weren't
already crowded with bills" Mr..
Robinson added, Il would re-
introduce my bill. I hope it will
be re-introduced at the next
session whether I'm back here
or not"
Under present law the State
Roads Commission does not have
authority to prohibit trucks on
any of it's roads. AS a result
trucks are now using the Mary
land part Of the road between
Jessup and Baltimore and swing
ing over to the old Baltimore
boulevard for the stretch between