Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-16
Senator'S Study
Jones Point
Bridge Accord
But Case Receives
Little Help on Span
Off New Hampshire
Rv Hanrna Ravav;dna
By George Beveridge

WAACAAA44A6 OAPA OooAOAAo VA o0PEO4U
for a HouSe-paSSed bill to au-
thorize a new Potomac River
bridge at Jones Point, Alexandria.
But at a hearing on Potomac
bridge needs yesterday, Chairman
Case won scant support for his
proposed new downtown bridge
leading from New Hampshire
avenue NV.
Only District and Arlington
highway officials supported the
Case proposal, which had been
submitted as compromise in
the dispute over a bridge leading
from E street NV.
The House approved the Alex
andria bridge bill month ago,
after planners and road builders
failed to agree on the best loca-
ton for a downtown bridge. Dis
trict highway officials argued for
the E street site. The National
Capital Planning Commission led
the fight against E street, pro-
posing an alternate Reaches Run
site. just down river from the
Fourteenth street bridge network.
The picture today-with the
New Hampshire avenue loca-
ton substituted for e street
is virtually the same.
Memorial Officials Opposed.
One Of the strongest strikes
against the New Hampshire
avenue bridge came from the
Theodore Roosevelt Association
which had opposed the E street
bridge on grounds it would cross
Roosevelt Memorial Island, the
wilderness sanctuary lying near
the Virginia shore.
Senator Case has commended
the New Hampshire avenue
bridge would miss the main part
OF the island, passing over only
a downriver piece of land known
as South Island. BY proposing
the bridge be built at low level
the Senator hoped also to satisfy
complaints that a bridge in that
general area would impair
esthetic values of the Lincoln
Memorial area.
In a letter on behalf of thu
Roosevelt association, however
Director Hermann Hagedorr
said the present proposal is a.
objectional as the othe
(E street," Noting that South
Island is IAN integral part" O
the main island, he sail
Congress would be guilty of i,
breach of trust" in approvin,
a bridge over the island accepted
by the United States as a wilder
ness memorial.
Asks Decision BE Delayed.
Harland Bartholomew, Ma
tional Capital Planning Com
mission chairman, conceded tina
a new downtown bridge
needed to bring traffic iron
the northern portion of tn
Virginia side of the metropolitan
Area to the north side of tn
central business area"
But he urged that no actor
be taken on the New Hampshir
avenue idea until the next Ses
sion of Congress, when studio
of the best bridge location cal
be completed.
John Nolen, jr., planning com
mission director, said the trafh
problems involved in the Ney
Hampshire avenue project ar
essentially the same" as thos
posed by the E street bridge
One of the planners major oh
jections has been to the east
west pattern of traffic propose,
in the vicinity of the Whit
House. They argue that ne,
bridge traffic should feed direct
ly into the proposed "inner-loop
network of streets encircling tn
congested central area.
Others opposing immediate ap
', prevail of the Case proposal wer
Conrad Wirth, National Par
Service director; David Finley
,, Fine Arts Commission chairman
and c. c. Robinson, chairman G
the Northern Virginia Regions
Planning Commission.
Brig. Gen. Louis w. Prentis
District Engineer Commissions
Endorsed the New Hampshir
avenue proposal as the next be:
, thing to the E street bridge. H
was seconded by Clifton {
Stoneburner, Arlington Count
highway engineer.
Representative Broyhill. Re
publican, of Virginia, author
the House-passed Jones Poir
bill, urged the Senate unit M
| to permit the downtown bride
argument to endanger the Alex
andria project. While he ha
, advocated the E street span, h
, said, the two serve differer
functions and are not alternate
for each another.
Senator Case responded. how
/ ever, that, since the two are ~
; competitive, my feeling is ths
we ought to proceed with bot
bridges"