Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-14
City Heads Will Back
Case Plan for Bridge
# Offered Tomorrow

II the So-called Cease Bridge"
proposal for a Potomac River
crossing is introduced in Con-
gressional hearings tomorrow, it
will have the support of the Dis
trict Commissioners.
The city heads have decided
on this stand on the recon-
mendation of Brig. Gen. Louis
w. Prentiss, District Engineer
Commissioner.
They made one point clear,
however. They still favor the
controversial bridge site in line
of E street across Theodore
Roosevelt Island into Virginia.
Endorsement of the proposal by
Chairman Case of the Senate
District Committee would be
strictly a compromise.
The suggestion by the South
Dakota Republican calls for a
structure in line Of New Hamp-
shire avenue. This would cross
an iSlet off the southern tip of
Roosevelt Island. District high
way planners have concluded
that ramps leading off this
bridge could tie in satisfactorily
with E street.
Studied by Commission.
Senator Cases plan is cur
rently under study by National
Capital, Planning Commission.
The commission strongly OPP
poses an E street bridge cross
ing Roosevelt Island. The plan
ming body favors instead a span
between Reaches Run and
Southwest Washington just
south of the Fourteenth Street
Bridges-an idea District Off
Gals intensely dislike.
Senate District Committee
hearings, set for 8 pm. tomor-
row, we're called for discussion
of the Jones Point Bridge pro-
posal, one span opposed by
none. Indications were that,
while Jones Point is the only
apparent question before the
House, the Case proposal is
bound to be raised in connection
with the greater need for a
central river crossing.
Wants U. S. to Pay Operation.
Gen. Prentiss said that as far
as the Jones Point Bridge pro-
posal is concerned, the District
still favors placing the opera
ton and maintenance costs of
the structure upon the Federal
Government.
AS the bill is now drawn, the
city would supervise design and
construction of the bridge and
pay for operation and main
tenance in perpetuity. About
two-thirds of the total $22 mil
lion construction cost would be
borne by the Federal Govern
ment and the remainder by
Maryland and Virginia for ap-
proaches. The bridge would
pass over only a small watery
corner of the District at the
Alexandria Waterline.
Gen. Prentiss said the District
wants out of operational costs
since the bridge would predom-
inantly benefit interstate traffic
seeking to bypass Washington
and Federal employees shutting
from the District and Maryland
to Virginia and vice versa to
pursue their daily occupations.
Meet on Key Bridge.
Among other bridge develop
ments yesterday the Engineer
Commissioner held a lengthy
conference with j. A. B. Broad
water. president Of Capital
Transit Co. on the subject of
expanding the traffic capacity Of
Key Bridge.
The District proposes to widen
the span by removing streetcar
tracks and cantilevering the
sidewalks outside the present
ratings.
Gen. Prentiss said he asked
the transit official to study the
track removal aspects Of the
problem and to report back. Key
questions include the cost share
between the city and company
and where the company would
terminate its streetcar service
which now runs across the
bridge to RoSSiyn.