Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-01-17
Metropolitan Scene
Commissioners ond Planners Ought to Get Together
On Bridge. Or Congress Moy Toss Out Whole Decl
By John w. Thompson. il.

SOAsu Wa - W0thpDOsht Obss
This Potomac River bridge
situation ID getting rapidly out
Of hand.
There Is now Q good chance
that, If the District and Fed
eral planners don't get to-
gether on o location. there
won't be any bridge or bridges
ct all.
Tactically. the two sides
have gotten themselves into
3 sort OF Korean truce situa-
ton. Each is now almost ir-
Tevocably committed to d Diff
terent site. The District wants
the bridge at E street. The
National Capital Planning
Commission lin q close vote
called for q downstream loca-
ton at Reaches Run.
To date, while Engineer
Commissioner Louis Prentiss
Is q member Of the planning
commission, the dealings and
squabbles al have been ct the
staff level between the District
Highway Department and plan
ming officials. Each now is
lobbying its separate cause at
the Capitol where ultimately
they will meet In the clash
that well may spell the death
of both projects.
But the Commissioners and
the planning commission MEM
berS never have sat down to-
gether to try to see what
could be worked out. They
should. It would be . far
happier solution II they could
come to some agreement be-
fore Congress knocks some
heads together or losses out
both proposals.
Having seen them, this col
umn can vouch that both pro-
posals look good on the draw
ing boards. It 10 curious how
two groups, both starting
with the same basic facts.
come up with such opposite
conclusions.
without going into the
basic differences in outlook
between the two sides. or all
the arguments for or against
the proposals - these have
been printed ad inf1nitum over
the past few months-any
meeting Of the Commissioners
and the commission .should
face the political realities Of
the problem.
These include:
/. Do they really inGnt a
bridge? II they do, then surely
they must realize that opposi-
ton Of the Federal planners
at the Capitol may well kill
the chances Of the e street
plan without being strong
enough to get through the
Reaches Run idea. This is no
situation like that Of 1945,
when Congress bucked q
bridge issue to the White
House and Harry Truman
climbed the Washington Mon
ument to decide. There he
was asked only to choose be-
tween single or twin bridge re-
placement of the old highway
bridge. There was no dis
agreement on the location.
Mr.. Truman's decision for
twin bridges the District
Highway Department plan
has been indicated amply
since. It is highly unlikely
that the White House now
would attempt q choice In so
complex b dispute as selection
Of proper site. Or Congress j
either. for that matter.
2. Vir0iniG's unwillin0ness to
pay anything. There Is no
question about this. State
highway officials have said
plainly they have no money to
spend for any Of these pro-
jects.' Their recent consult
ants report presented to Gov.
Battle covering bridges and ex-
preSSways for this area made 1t
quite clear that these would
be built only by the Federal
Government. If Uncle Sam
doesn't want to pay, they're
just a beautiful dream. At the
moment Virginia officials favor
the e street plan because 1t
gives State taxpayers q bridge
"tor Free" The Reaches Run
project also would connect with
q proposed expressway along
Four-Mile Run which Virginia