Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-07-19
Conferees Try
To Clear Way
For Bridge Here
Weeks Seeks Law
To Cut Number Of
Draw Spans in U. S.

aimed at clearing the way fol
construction of a bridge acros.
the Potomac River at Theodore
Roosevelt Island. The principa
question is whether it should
include draw span.
At the same time. Secretary
of Commerce Weeks has recon.
mended that Congress modify
present laws so that the number
of draw bridges across the
country can be cut down.
The Senate version of the
bridge bill which passed a veal
ago, calls for a fixed span. The
House version. passed recently
specifies it should have a baS.
cule, or jacknife, draw. HOUSE
amendments also call for si1
lanes on the bridge, which woulc
be located in the vicinity of Con.
|Stitution avenue NV.
Mr. Weeks said in his recon,
mendation to the Hill that 9
movable span on the bridge
would cost an additional SIS
million dollars and that a draw
on a proposed bridge to replace
the old Fourteenth Street,
bridge would cost another $1.4
million.
Economic Effect Studied
Mr.. Weeks proposal is thai
the Chief Of Engineers and the
Secretary of the Army should
consider the economic effect or
all forms of surface Transports
tion-highway, railway. water
way and pipeline-in authorizing
new bridges. The present Law
requires only that the interests
Of public navigation be pro-
tected. n
The Commerce recommends
ton is a follow-up of a report
published last year saying that
draw facilities on 2,247 bridges
cost an additional $754 million
and that another $16.9 million
is being spent annually in main
tanning and operating these
draws.
In his Recommendation, Mr.
Weeks said: only q few vesseI
movements require opening Of
the present Potomac bridges
here, and vehicular trafic jams
are created whenever such open.
ings are made"
II Draws Never Opened
The report said that at least
~ bridges built with draws
across the country have never
been opened.
Conferees appointed to iror
out the differences in the bridge
across the downstream part Of
the island and to be named the
Theodore Roosevelt Memorial
Bridge are:
For the House, Representa-.
tiveS Davis. Democrat of Geor-
gia; Williams, Democrat of Mis-
Sissippi, and Broyhill, Republic
can of Virginia, and for the Sen
late, Senators Bible, Democrat OF
Nevada; Freer, Democrat OF
Delaware, and Beall, Republican
of Maryland.
Another Bridge Bill
The House also sent another
bill relating to bridges to con-
ference.
The second bill relates to the
naming Of the two Fourteenth
street bridges. The Senate had
named both of the spans the
Rochambeau Memorial Bridge.
The House earlier had given
the two bridges separate names
One was to be named for George
Mason of Virginia, a Revolution
airy patriot, and Rochambeau
the French military leader, who
helped the colonies win their in
dependence from Britain.
The same House conferees will
meet on the problem of these
bridges. but the Senate conferees
have not yet been named.
Four Bills Passed
The House. after assigning the
two bridge bills to conference,
also concurred in the Senate
amendments to four House.
passed bills and sent them to the
Whlte House.
One Of these would permit the
transfer, OF cases from the u. s.
District Court for the District OF
Columbia to the Municipal Court
anytime before trial if it APP
peared that such action would
not justify a judgement in excess
of $4,000. Present District law
provides a limitation of $1,000
for such transfer.
Other bills sent to the White
House include one to authorize
two gasoline filling stations in
the District to rebuild their
property despite the fact they dc
not conform to present residen-
Itial zoning laws. The stations
are located at the corner Of Wis
consin and Massachusetts, ave-
nues NV. and on the east side
of Sixteenth street between Ar
kansas avenue and Upshur street
N w. President Eisenhower last
year vetoed somewhat similar
bill at the recommendation OF
the District Commissioners.
Other Measures
The other measures sent to
the White House would:
Permit members of the Police
and Fire Departments to live in