Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-06-10
BRIDGE
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tunnel would not carry adequate
traffic volume. But he said he
wanted to reserve judgment until
after hearing testimony this
: week.
! A spokesman at the Budget
Bureau-which voices official
. Federal administration policy
said that agency was still await
ing comment from various Gov
ernment departments on the
tunnel proposal.
Senate Amendment Cited
Last year, however, Budget Di-
'lrector Rowland r. Hughes in
formed a Senate committee that
Ia tunnel was mot being consid-
erred" He said "all interested
agencies" supported a bridge
that would cross the lower end
Iof Roosevelt Memorial Island,
and urged Congress to authorize
that location.
Shortly afterwards, the SEN
ate approved an amendment to
the bridge act. permitting the
island crossing. Under the bridge
|, iact, the crossing would have to
be built between the island and
Arlington Memorial Bridge. The
Senate-passed amendment is the
Legislation the District now
wants the House to approve.
At last months hearings, En-
gineer Commissioner Thomas A..
Lane said the District had
agreed to study a new bridge
location over Roosevelt Island
only because the Interior De-
partment and other agencies
wanted it moved as far away
from Arlington Memorial Bridge
Jas possible.
Before studying the new loca-
tion, he said, he asked Interior
Department officials whether
this was just a move to delay
. construction of the bridge" and
: that. 1--WE were assured that they
; were entering into this in good
faith"
One Has Not Agreed
Since then, he said, the Ma
tional Capital Planning Com
} mission. the Fine Arts Commits
sion and the Theodore Roosevelt
Association have accepted the
new bridge route over the island,
but the Interior Department
has. not.
\ In the case Of the Roosevelt
Association and the Fine Arts
group, the concurrence has been
reluctant. Both consistently have
stressed they favored a tunnel
but that, in the event there had
to be bridge. they leaned to-
ward the island route.
The Interior Department, how
ever, has spearheaded this years
new fight for a tunnel. The
tunnel bill it and the other
groups support was introduced in
, the House by Representative
Broyhill. Republican of Virginia.
Mr.. Broyhill noted that he had
supported the bridge earlier.
however, and dropped in the
tunnel bill only to try to slim
ulate House hearings on the
matter.
Smith Supports Tunnel
Representative Smith, DEM
ocrat. of Virginia, one of the
most powerful members of the
District Committee. has thrown
his support toward the tunnel
and away from the bridge.
One reason, he has made plain,
is that the bridge would have no
draw span. and thus would af-
feet business interests in the
Georgetown harbor which uses
the river.
Firms expected to protest the
fixed span" plans this week in
clude the Smoot Sand & Gravel
Co., which uses the Potomac to
get to a harbor plant near
Thirtieth and X street NV, and
the American Oil Co., which has
q terminal at Rosslyn.
Last year. the United States
Army Engineers, after an ex-
tensive hearing, granted the
Districts request for a bridge
with no draw span. 261s feet
above mean low water. The
Engineers found that there would
not be sufficient interference
with navigation to warrant extra
expenditure or more than 81
million in public money for a
draw span.
Inherent Rights" Noted
The Engineers report said the
Smoot Co. operated with tugs
and barges which could clear
the low bridge, and that 1t could
substitute 'land-based equip
ment" for higher craft it oc-
casionally brings up the river
for dredging purposes. American
Oil Co., the report said, would
have increased operating costs,
mot considered unreasonable inI
the light Of the public interests
involved" The higher costs, itI
said. would come in the use of
barges instead Of tankers, and
in supplemental trucking" dur
ing very bad weather.
A. M. Parker, an official Of
the Smoot Co., said inherent
rights" were being taken from
users Of the river, and contested
the Engineers findings as to|
effects Of the low-level bridge.
Gen. Lane contended that the
United States Engineers historic
cally have been jealous" in pro-
tecting navigation rights on all
rivers. He said the Potomac's