Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-05-01
BY GEORGE BEvERrDGE

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Washington's' proposed Poto-
mac River bypass bridges at
Jones Point. Va, and Cabin
John. Md. would not produce
enough revenues to pay their
way as toll bridges, consultant
study asserted yesterday.
Either 10 or 15-cent tolls,
however. would produce enough
money to finance an extensive
new bridge-building program
here If the tolls were collected
on all or nearly all existing and
proposed downtown bridges.
These findings highlighted a
98-page, $4,000 study by the
consulting firm of Wilbur Smith
& Associates, paid for Jointly by
the District. Maryland, Virginia
and the Federal Bureau Of Pub
lie Roads.
May Kill Toll Speculation
AS expected, the reports effect
probably will be to kill future
speculation about toll possible
ties here. since the outer Jones
Point and Cabin John spans are
the only ones seriously given q
chance to be authorized by Con-
gress for tolls.
District officials, in fact, are
against tolls generally. And some
members of Congress already
have served notice they would
hit the roof If anyone suggests
taxing people for entering the
Nations Capital.
But Federal. State and local
officials felt they needed dollar
and-cent facts on tolls, as part
of new joint effort to explore
every financing possibility in
order to try to tie down the re-
sponsibility for Washington area
bridge costs. Until now officials
never really have been able to
determine whether any particu-
lar bridge could pay for itself.
Avoided Recommendations
So the Wilbur Smith firm was
ordered to steer clear of politi-
cally explosive policy recommen-
dations, and deal only with the
feasibility Of setting up various
toll combinations to finance new
bridges and improve old ones.
The consultants dealt gener-
ally with eight bridges: The
dual-span Fourteenth street net.
work and Chain, Key and Me-
mortal bridges, the proposed
Cabin John and Jones Point
spans and two new proposed
downtown bridges. probably at
Constitution avenue and Reaches
Run
The consultants estimated
future traffic on each bridge as
of 1860 and 1870 and assumed
each bridge would be built or
improved. They considered two
TOLERATE schedules: One proposed
10 cents for each passenger car
crossing, is cents for medium
trucks and IS cents heavy trucks
and buses. The other proposed
Is cents for cars. 20 cents for
medium trucks and IS cents for
heavy trucks and buses.
The report concluded:
/. II the "outer" Jones Point
and Cabin John bridges were
constructed with revenue bonds
as toll spans and all the other
bridges remained free:
Neither the 10 nor Is cent tolls
would come close to amortizing
a $S6 million bond issue required
for the two.
A ascent toll on passenger
cars would amortize a SITS mil
lion Jones Point bridge alone,
but extensive approach roads
would have to be provided" sepa-
rately. Congress already has
authorized this bridge as a Fed
eral EXPENSE
No toll rate was found ade-
quate to finance the Cabin John
bridge alone. since it would pro-
duce less than q third as much
toll revenue as Jones Point.
2. If tolls were put on all eight
bridges to finance construction
Of the new ones and improve
ments to the old:
The $155 million cost could be
financed by q l5-cent toll sched-
ule. A 10-cent toll rate also
would do the job If interest on
the revenue bonds was kept be-
low 3ha per cent, but this might
not be sufficient Sto attract in
vestors."
3. If tolls were imposed on the
six downtown bridges and the
two bypass spans we're free
bridges built without revenue
bonds:
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