Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-29
Accord PUes Way for Other Major Highway Projects

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q bitter tWo-year bridge fight goes
far beyond the question Of
bridges. The agreement paves
the way for giving the city. for
the first time in years. general
" accepted plan that could serve
as a blueprint Of major highway
construction In the downtown
area for years to come.
Basically, the agreement relates
to location of the proposed .sii1-
ner bel" road network around
the congested center OF town.
The planners and highway engi-
neers had been deadlocked over
the location and that fight has
led directly to battles over new
Potomac bridge sites.
Series 81 Conferences.
The new compromise plan.
formally Endorsed by the Ma
tional Capital Planning Com
mission late yesterday, resulted
from q series of conferences re-
Gently between Brig. Gen. Louis
w. Prentiss. Engineer Commits
sioner, and Harland Bartholo-
new. plann ing commission
chairman. The first word Of the
agreement came from Senator
Case after a breakfast meeting
yesterday with Gen. Prentiss,
Mr.. Bartholomew and Conrad
Wirth, National Park Service di-
rector. All four are planning
commission members.
Its highlights include:
/. Two new downtown bridges
The Twenty fourth street span
in the Case bill, and a new High
way Bridge leading from Reaches
Run. Va. to tie into Twelfth
street S.W. The latter bridge
would serve as q replacement for
the 50-year -old trestle- topped
Fourteenth street bridge. which
is TO be demolished. Highway
officials had planned earlier to
rebuild the old bridge in It's pres
ent location.
District officials plan to use
the new Highway Bridge for
one-way Washington bound traf-
f1c, and reverse the one-way
traffic flow on the Fourteenth
street bridge built In 1850. The
latter bridge now handles Wash
ington- bound cars.
2. Construction Of Twenty
fourth street NV. as a major
freeway. This tfreeway, connect
ing with the new upriver bridge,
would serve as the west leg OF
the Inner, belt" road system.
i 3. Continuation Of Twenty
fourth street as a freeway SOUTH
ward to connect with Ohio drive
east of Lincoln Memorial. This
involves building q tunnel be-
meath the Watergate steps near
the river. This would permit use
lof. Ohio drive and, farther east
ward, the new r street freeway
as the south leg Of the Inner
belt"
Details Not Included.
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The north and east legs Of the
belt system were not agreed upon
in detail. but officials said the
north leg would be in the gen.
era1. vicinity Of r street, with
Third street probably serving
the close-in eastern leg.
Gen. Prentiss said he wants
the north leg Of the belt to ex-
tend further eastward on r
street and Florida avenue ali
the way to Seventeenth street
NE. Eventually, he said, Sew
enteenth street should be re-
built as a freeway at least as
far south as South Carolina ave-
nue. Sc. to form a second east
ern boundary of the belt system
The. planning commission, In
Its resolution. noted that part Of
the reason for the long bridge
fight was because 1t has re-
peatedly urged that new bridges
tie into the inner loop. The plar
outlined above meets this re-
quirement.
The planners said "substan-
tial agreement" was reached or
an immediate needs" program
calling for the Jones Point
bridge. the bridge at Reaches
Run las a replacement for the
old Highway span), the new up.
river bridge tying into Twenty
fourth street and early construc.
ton of the Twenty-fourt street
and Ohio drive legs of the Inner
belt"
No Time Table Set.
In a future needs" program
the planners called for later con
structicn of another bridge be
tween Key and Chain Bridge
and a third bridge somewhere
| near Fourteenth street "whel
4 additional traffic volume war
rants it"
Gen. Prentiss emphasized tina
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