Evening star., 1954-11-14
Tunnel Plan
IsInlpracticaI,
Officials Say
Could Not Handle
Enough Traffic,
Prentiss Declares

DIoeiiCt UIilCldlS Sdlu udtly yes
terday they believe a tunnel
proposed as a substitute for the
newly authorized Constitution
avenue bridge, would not handle
enough traffic to justify its con.
Struction.
The basic idea of a tunnel wa.
rejected long ago by city anc
consultant engineers. It was
brought back to life last week
by the Fine Arts Commission
which strongly opposed the new
Potomac bridge planned for the
Ancoln Memorial area.
Opposition to the bridge was
based on esthetic grounds. Fine
Arts members contended II
would be ruinous to the carefully
planned makeup of the historic
Lincoln Memorial area.
Studies of the cost Of a tun-
mel, made previously by the Dis
trict Highway Department, re-
suited in price estimates of $72.4
million and SOL million, depend
ing on location. The cost fac
tor has been the one most often
cited in arguments against q
tunnel.
Prentiss Hits Proposal.
But aside from cost" District
Engineer Commissioner Louis w
Prentiss said yesterday, 1--WE
don't think 1t would accomplish
what we are trying to do-han-
die steadily increasing traffic
volumes crossing the river" ;"
The basic traffic problem, ac-
cording to Douglas S. Brinkley
city highway planning engineer,
is that a tunnel could not be
connected directly with enough
major streets and highways on
either side Of the river.
The bridge, for example, is
planned to connect in Virginia
with Arlington boulevard, Will
son boulevard, George Washing
ton Memorial parkway and jeff
erson Davis highway. In the
District, it would link with Con-
stitution avenue, a proposed new
TweAty-fourth street express
way, Independence avenue and
the Rock Creek and Potomac
parkway.
Most of these roadwayS, Mr..
Brinkley said, are located so
close to the shore on each side
that a tunnel-sloping gradually
upward from the river bottom
would pass under them, ruling
out above-ground connections.
Result of Studies.
The studies in line with Con-
stitution avenue, Mr.. Brinkley
said, showed:
/. On the Virginia side, the
tunnel roadway would emerge
beyond Fort Myer drive on Arl-
ington boulevard, permitting di-
rect above-ground connections
only with Arlington boulevard.
2. In the District, it would
emerge on Constitution avenue
at about wenty-third street
N.W.-far east of the connec-
tions planned for the bridge
near the river.
"The trouble is," he said, that
neither Constitution avenue nor
Arlington boulevard could be de-
veloped to handle the traffic
volumes that are expected to
cross the river at that point"
One of the District studies, Mr..
Brinkley said, considered under
ground connections that would
merge tunnel traffic with the
shore roads. This was ruled out,
he said, after plans were studied
early this year by Ralph Smillie,
New York engineer and one of
the Nations leading tunnel ex-
perts, whose work included plan
ing for Manhattan's Holland and
Lincoln tunnels.
Studied Feasibility.
Mr.. Smillie studied the pro-
posal last February at the re-
quest of Representative Broyhill,
Republican, of Virginia, who con-
sidered supporting a tunnel
project.
Gen. Prentiss said Mr.. Smillie
"was very emphatic in saying he
would never design a tunnel pro-
viding for merging traffic under
ground" for safetySreasons.
After talking with the New
Yorker, Mr.. Broyhill dropped the
tunnel idea and the District Off
cials turned their full attention
to bridge designs.
The possibility of a tunnel in
stead of a bridge was raised as
early as October, 1852. in a con-
sultants' report released by the
National Capital Parks Office.
That report, stressing the i'm
portance of protecting the areas
esthetic values, had this to say
about the traffic picture:
Access to the tunnel on the
District side would be relatively
easy to provide. With the demo-
htion of the Navy and Munitions
building. Constitution avenue
could be redesigned from Twelfth
street to Rock Creek and Po-
tomac parkway so as to become
a major fedder and distributor
artery.
Access to the tunnel on the
Virginia side would. on the other
hand. be somewhat difficult. It
might even prove to be imprac-
tical, but this decision should
not be made without a thorough
investigation of all the posi-
bilities."
Took Broad Position.
A member of the Fine Arts
Commission. asked about the
District officials comments last
night. said:
"Our position was a very broad
one, without assuming we could
speak on the technical points.