Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-08
VIRGINIA
Superhighwoy Plans
7 ermed Most Vital

laClon centerS at q hlgn rate
of speed.
In both cases. those who are
denied access or are by-passed
usually set up the loudest
howls of protest during the
planning and construction
stages.
But Charles M. Noble, chief
engineer of the New Jersey
Turnpike Authority, says,
"Once the project has been
completed and in public use.
opposition evaporates, for
much antagonism is generated
by blind fear of the unknown.
There is nothing so successful
and popular as a completed
highway project"
A few days ago, the commits
sion's limited access policy was
overShadowed by news &C
counts of nearly $44 million in
primary road construction
projects. But Gen. Anderson
stressed the growing impor-
lance of the problem Of the
freeway and urged the COM
mission to make its views clear
for the information Of the
public.
226 Miles Designated
Out of nearly $4,000 mile: Of
primary and secondary high
ways maintained by the State,
only 226 miles have been deS-
ignated as limited access. And
of these 226 miles, only the
nearby Shirley highway (Route
$50 leading into Washington
from the South, actually is
built o~limited-access stand
ards. It is about II miles long.
Gen. Anderson told the re-
cent commission meeting that
unless the State maintains
controls, q limited-access or
bypass route soon becomes
obsolete.
An example cited by him
also is not far from Washing
ton. He mentioned the Lee
highway CRcute 211-29) by
pass around Warrenton. Only
a few yeeYs ago it served as a
highs, ocu circuit of the town.
There has been such rapid
development and new streets
coming INTO the bypass, he
said, I'VE are now faced with
the problem Of by-paSsing the
bypass.
Most of Lee highway be-
tween Washington and War;
renton has been built to dual
lane, limited-accesS standards.
Another seven-mile stretch will
be done after July /. BY then
the Warrenton bypass prob
ably will be as great a bottle
neck as was the original route
through the town.
Another Washington area
bypass route built to limited
access standards is Alternate
Route l at Fredericksburg.
When the Highway Commas
sion first disc sed plans for
the project, business interests
OF Fredericksburg protested.
Spokesman appeared before the
General Assembly seeking leg
lslation to either stop the prof.
ect or allow the city to extend
as many streets as it desired to
the dual-lane bypass. They
were afraid they would lose the
tourist trade.
The highway department ar
gued that the projects purpose
would be defeated. Eventually,
an agreement between the city
and the State was reached and
most of the Fredericksburg by
pass retains the characteristics
of a freeway.
Object Lesson
The experience at Freder-
ickSburg served as an object
lesson to the commission. A
few years ago, Alexandria
moved to annex Fairfax County
territory that StraddleS a por-
ton of the Shirley highway.
Fairfax, fighting the land
grab. argued that the super
highway would lose its char
acteristicS of a freeway once
control passed from the State
to the city. Alexandria attor-
neyS were anxious to knock
down this argument by Stipu-
lating that the Shirley high
way would be retained to COM
mission standards. This was
made a part of the court order
for the annexation suit which
Alexandria won.
State highway officials say
they anticipate much opposi'
ton whenever they attempt
to bring the rest of the 226
miles of highways designated
as limited access up to true
freeway standards.
These are some of the prob
lens that confronted the COM
mission when it formally
adopted limited access pol
icy. 1t listed three conditions
under which it may declare
highway streets to be limited
access:
/. Principal and through
highways where roadside de-
velopment threatens orderly
movement OF traffic and the
volume and character OF the
traffic justifles such desig-
nation.
2.AAll distribution routes
and bypaSseS constructed
through or around cities and
towns on Glass / and Glass II
roads (the most heavily trav-
eled interstate and intercity
routeS.)