Evening star., 1955-01-28
Nearby Virginia
Urged 70 Unite
On 7 Highways
Sees Possibility of
Benefits From
Federal Proposal

NOStucEu tHBiLlia JuflSulCtluklo
were urged last night to unite In
efforts to get two major new
area roads approved as part Of
the Federal interstate highway
system.
Clifton @. Stoneburner, Arling-
ton County highway engineer.
told the Northern Virginia
Regional Planning Commission
that new Federal road expendi-
ture proposals offer bright pros-
poets for both highways--if they
are adequately planned and sup
ported.
Mr.. Stoneburner noted that
the Clay Committee report to
the President calls for the Fed
eral Government to undertake
$25 billion Of the $27 billion
necessary to put the 40, 0,000-mile
interstate system in shape.
Route 2s-211 Replacement.
The two roads he said might
benefit directly from this pro-
posal are:
/. A new liinited-excess ex-
pressway from the Potomac to
Front Royal and Strasburg, Va.
This road would replace Routes
29-2l1 and IS. already on the
interstate system, as q major
interstate route. Mr.. Stone-
burner urged support for a speci.
fic location he outlined for the
new route.
2. The long planned "outer
belt" expressway. which would
sweep through Fairfax County
and link with Maryland's inter.
county belt road via Potomac
bridges at Jones Point, Alexan-
dria, and Cabin John, Md.
The Front Royal expressway.
as outlined by Mr.. Stoneburner,
would lead from Spout Run, near
Rosslyn, to Fairfax drive and
feed into a Falls Church bypass,
one of the five new expressways
proposed in Fairfax County's
tentative master plan OF high-
ways.
Referred for Study.
The Regional Planning Com
mission referred this proposal to
d committee for study. 1t took
the same action on the five pro-
posed Fairfax County radial
routes, after hearing them de-
scribed by John Geiger, county
planner.
Mr.. Geiger said the five ex-
pressWays. all headed In the
general direction OF Washington.
were planned to meet 1880 road
needs.
The routes we're extended be-
yond the Fairfax County line to
show how some of them would
pass through sections OF Falls
Church. Arlington and Alexan-
dria. officials agreed last night
that the next step Is for these
jurisdictions to get together with
Fairfax on whether they agree
with the extensions.
Dennis Cahill. Alexandria
planner, for example, said he
considered one Of the routes
barreling through a highly de-
veloped part Of Alexandria--as
impractical.
Plans Tentative.
Arlington officials said they
are working on plans for extend
ing the Fairfax roads into that
county. But the plans are still
tentative.
Mrs. Kathryn Stone Of Arling-
ton. said she was discouraged
that the Fairfax expressways
apparently made no provision
for the possibility of rapid
transit trains.
Mr.. Geiger said the plans
could be changed If there were
any evidence Of a rapid-transit
system being realized. But in
the absence Of any such signs.
he said. "you have to plan ac-
cording to what you can see"
Mr.. Stoneburner suggested any
such divided, limited d-access ex-
pressways be designed so that
rapid-transit trains might be
accommodated in the roads wide
median strips. That would per-
init rail. systems later to be
installed without buying expen-
sive right-of-way, he explained.