Evening star., 1954-03-11
Bridge-TunneI
Now Proposed
Street Site
Hearings to Reopen
On Plan for Tube
Beneath Island
By George Beveridge

District officials today sent to
Capitol Hill a proposal for o
drastic variation in design Of the
proposed E street bridge. It
would involve tunnel under
Roosevelt Memorial Island.
Chairman Kearns Of q House
District Subcommittee imme.
diately announced he would re-
open hearings on Potomac bridge
needs "in week or two" to con-
slider the new plan.
The design variation was sent
to the subcommittee in the wake
of bitter opposition to the orig
inal proposal that a high-level
bridge would pass over Roosevelt
Island.
Tubes Proposed.
1t would go like this:
The bridge would start from
the District side of the Potomac
like any other low-level bridge.
AS it approached the controver.
sial Roosevelt Island, it would
decline to land level and pass
under the island surface through
tubes. On the Virginia side Of
the island it would rise again and
continue to the shore as a con-
ventional bridge.
Mr.. Kearns, after studying the
design briefly today. told report
ers it had quite a potential"
and said he would reopen the
hearings which closed yesterday
to hear the pros and cons" Of
the new idea.
He said the new hearings also
would consider the Reaches Run
bridge just down river from the
Fourteenth street bridge net
work-proposed as an E street
alternative by the National Cap
ital Planning Commission.
Replies to Smith.
The Pennsylvania Republican
asserted also that "I resent the
idea we have been wasting our
time in these hearings on the e
street bridge"
This was an obvious slap at
testimony yesterday by Repre-
sentative Smith. Democrat, of
Virginia, who told the subcom-
mittee it was wasting a lot Of
time and energy" on the E street
bridge in view of the Theodore
Roosevelt Associations opposi-
ton.
Mr.. Smith. a powerful mem
Der of the full District Commit
tee, made it plain that he feels
Congress gave the association
the right to rule on any such
project when Congress accepted
title to the island as a memorial
wilderness in 1882.
Mr.. Smith refused to comment
today on the new design sent
to Capitol Hill by District Engi-
neer Commissioner Louis w.
Prentiss.
Grew Nom -cOmmittal.
Former Ambassador Joseph C.
Grew. a Roosevelt association
trustee who led opposition testi-
mony to the original E street
plan, said today he could not
commit himself on the combina-
ton bridge-tunnel idea until he
studies its plans. He said that
from a reporters description,
however. he thought it was an
interesting plan the association
could study"
Representative Broyhill, Re-
publican, of Virginia. author Of
bills for bridges at E street and
Jones Point, Alexandria, said the
new plan might overcome some
objections" He said he thought
the original high-level bridge
plan would be better from a
standpoint of beauty and prac-
ticability,' however.
Gen. Prentiss said he was glad
that Chairman KearnS intended
to reopen the hearings.
Prentiss Notes Higher Cost.
I'VE want to put everything
possible before the subcommittee
and that is why we sent this plan
up today" he said. While he
added the original high-level
proposal was less costly and
"sounder from an engineering
point of view," the low-level idea
"has certain advantages.
Not the least of them is that
it might answer some objections
against the esthetic impact Of
l. -