Evening star., 1955-02-20
State to Begin Intercounty Belt Despite Controversy
Maryland Starting
On Park Strip Prior
To New Hearings
CONTINUED From First Page)

of the road within the park Sec
tion. and the first construction
contract for this is expected to
be let by early summer.
Cleared by Courts.
Q These steps, officials said, have
been taken under the impression
that the road had clear sailing.
with favorable court decisions
and approval given by all the
agencies required by law. State
officials feel strongly these clear
ances are all that is required for
the roads construction.
However, the Senate commit
tees interest in the matter raises
q number of new questions.
For the most part, the 32-mile
belt road is strongly supported
and noncontroversial. But its
passage through the 21a miles of
Rock Greek Park extended threw
1t squarely into the hottest road
/. fight the area has seen in years.
Opponents, mainly Federal
park officials and citizens who
live near the park. are fighting
this traversal of the park for two
reasons:
They contend the road en-
croaches. illegally and immor-
ally" on the park and destroys
the values for which the park
was formed.
The belt road, where it emerges
from the park at Wisconsin ave-
nue.. would connect with U. S.
Route 240, bearing down on the
Washington suburbs, from Rock
vile. The opponents contend the
roads commissions real interest
is not in the belt road itself, but
in gaining means of shooting
Route 240 traffic into the main
part of Rock Creek Park in the
District.
Hearing Friday.
Both these issues will get a
heavy airing at Fridays hearing
of the Senate committee, headed
by Senator Murray, Democrat, of
Montana. And both are covered
in a resolution introduced by the
Montanan which would:
l. Require specific congress
sional authority for any new
road built in the District part of
the park.
2. Forbid the National Capital
Planning Commission to approve
any highway traversing Rock
Greek Park in Maryland, and re-
quire it to withdraw" any such
approval already given.
The first part of the resolution
is somewhat academic, since
Congress would have to approve
appropriations. anyway, for any
road in the Washington park.
But the second section is a
direct attack on the belt road,
since the Federal Planning Com
mission has approved its routing
through the Maryland park.
Residents of the park area last
year brought suit against the
planners approval, claiming it
permitted an illegal use of park
lands. The suit was dismissed in
Federal Court here. The decision
Is now being appealed.
A Federal court judge also re-
fused a request that. pending ap-
peal. progress be halted on the
belt road. In view OF this, the
Roads Commission is moving
ahead with projects. of which the
Cedar lane bridge is the first.
Status of Belt Road.
Beyond the Cedar lane project,
meanwhile, what is the belt
roads precise status?
The. bulk Of the $30-million
route. roads officials said, will be
constructed in the final eight
years of Maryland's 12-year
highway program, which began
last year.
However, the Roads Commits
sion has agreed to build the por-
tion between Wisconsin ana
Georgia avenues Cincluding the
contested park section) within
the next three years. The frsV
contract will be let this summer
for a stretch between Wisconsin
and Connecticut avenues. Plans
are being worked out jointly WIN
the Massachusetts, firm OF Ohm
sted Bros, park designers. who
drew up the controversial plans
approved by the National Capital
Planning Commission and the
Maryland National Capital Park
and Planning Commission.
For the non-park portion OF
the road, officials said, the next
three years will be devoted to
detailed construction plans and
right-of way acquisition.
Parcels Purchased.
So far, officials said, these are
the land parcels already bought
for the belt:
One parcel just south of the
park and just east of Kensington
parkway, $4,000; four parcels
lust east of Georgia avenue.
$215,125; 90 parcels through a
residential section of old homes
between Georgia avenue and
Colesville road, $662,l10: one
parcel near Old Bladensburg
road and Waterford road.
$16.750: one parcel Just east OF
New Hampshire avenue, $4,000,
and one in Prince Georges
County, S19,0l5:
Suppose, even at this late date,
the park area could not be used
for the road. Would the entire
belt road be dropped?
officials believe it would not be
dropped because of Cd its tratf1c
value in becoming the first real
cross-country route in the area
and t2) the fact that its prog
ress-approved by official agen-
cies-has gone as far as it has.
What are the possible alterna-
tives, if the park were not used?
The road, officials said, either