Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-12
Bridge-TunneI
Would Require
RdisingofIs|and
OfficioIs Report
Work Necessary If
E Street Plan Used
By George Beveridee

NSbu ~SSN
By George Beverage
The possibility Of tunneling a
portion of the proposed E street
bridge through Roosevelt Me-
mortal Island would require one
portion of the islands surface
to be raised about 35 feet above
its level, District officials said
today.
In all. about 35 per cent of the
low-lying' islands present topog-
raphy would be affected by an
alternate design for the E street
span, submitted for study yester-
day to a House District sub
committee.
The District Highway Depart
ment'S original E street proposal
called for a high-level bridge to
pass about 40 feet over the is
lands surface.
That proposal. however, met
devastating opposition from the
Theodore Roosevelt Association.
which commended the bridge
would thwart the islands dedi-
Gated purpose as a natural Wild
ernesS preserve in memory of the
late President. The association
decided the island to the United
States Government in 1882 but
retained a voice over any i'm
provementS affecting its develop
ment.
Drawing Submitted.
Brig. Gen. Louis w. Prentiss.
District Engineer Commissioner.
yesterday sent the subcommittee
without comment. a drawing.
showing that a low-level bridge
could be burrowed-above water
level-through the island. The
tunnel would enter one side of
the island and come out the
other. with the islands surface
retaining its present appearance
as a wilderness.
Subcommittee airman
Kearns. Republican. of Pennsyl-
vania. said today he plans to
reopen bridge hearings on
March % to consider the new
possibility. He said his group.
at that time, also will hear
testimony on a Reaches Run
bridge, proposed by the National
Capital Planning Commission as
an alternate to the E street span.
G. l. Sawyer, District High
way Department chief of plan
ming. design and engineering,
gave this description of the is
land and the changes needed to
carry out the modified design:
About half of the island now
is below the high-water flood
mark. and about II per cent
of it is under water at high tide.
The proposed tunnel would hit
one of the islands lowest por-
tons.
Covered and Handicapped.
At the level the tunnel tube
would hit the island, about half
the tube would rest on pilings
above the island and about half
would rest in an open-cut Swath
through higher ground. The en-
tire tube then would be covered
with fill dirt and Handicapped
with trees and shrubs to bring
back it's natural appearance.
Mr.. Sawyer said the open-cut
construction would be for rela-
lively short distance. The entire
operation, he said, would affect
about IS per cent of the island
surface and raise the lowest por-
ton about IS feet.
The top of the tunnel would be
several feet below ground in the
finished project, so that the
largest trees could be planted on
top, he said.
Mr.. Sawyer said city officials
are convinced the project could
be carried out so as not to give
the island an artificial appear
ance, but to restore its existing
air of natural wilderness.
The E street bridge, under such
drastically revised design,
would cost about $3.5 million
more than the 1928 million esti-
mate for the original high-level
crossing, the design chief said.
Most of the additional cost
would be for a draw-span for the
low-level bridge, which would be
about the same height as the Ar
lington Memorial Bridge. The
original E street proposal, reach
ing top height of SO feet over
water, would not have had a
draw.
The cost figures include extern
sive improvements to District
streets, as well as costly ap-
proaches on either side of the
river. The original cost estimate
for the bridge proper amounted
to only about $11.5 million of the
total.
Officials Silent.
Meanwhile, Herman Hagedorn,
director of the Theodore Roose-
welt Association, declined to COM
ment on the new possibility until,
his group can study the design.
He said the association, however,
wants to be cooperative and
will give the most careful study
to any proposal submitted"
Gen. PrentiSs said a high-level
bridge would be "sounder from
an engineering point of view"
But he said the District wanted
to put every possibility before the
subcommittee.
Several other District officials
said thew do not like the BRIDGE