Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-07-07
Funds 0kayed
For Bridge
|At Jones Point
New U. S. Buildings
Also Approved by
House Committee

|mended by the House Appropria-
tons Committee.
The committee yesterday re-
ported a big supplemental ap-
preparation bill expected to be
acted on next week and ap-
proved:
/. A STAB million item to COW
er total costs Of the Jones Point
Bridge. Approval would permit
construction to begin early in
1857. The Six-lane span, by
passing Washington and linking
major Maryland and Virginia
highways, would take three years
to build.
2. A $40 million appropriation
for the big CHA headquarters at
Langley, Va. This amount, along
with funds already provided, in
cludes SIS million to extend the
George Washington Memorial
parkway along the Virginia side
of the Potomac to the Langley
site. The CHA requested only
$40 million, but said it would ask
Congress later for another $40
million to meet increased con-
Struction costs"
$44.9 Million for State
3. A $44.9 million sum to ex-
tend the State Department two
blocks westward of the present
building at Twenty first and Vir-
ginia avenue NV. This is SLOT
million less than the total cost
estimate, but the committee saFe
the State Department could
come back for the rest next year.
The committee said the ex-
penditure of Federal funds for
the Jones Point Bridge between
Maryland and Virginia was justi-
fed because it would divert
through Washington traffic from
congested District streets. But
it made plain that Maryland
and Virginia should meet the
$50 1000 annual operating and
maintenance costs of the bridge.
This latter requirement is in
accord with legislation authoriz-
ing the bridge. Recently. how
ever. the Senate passed a new
bill which said the District
should share in one-third of the
maintenance expenses. The bill
has not come up in the House.
Three Years for CHA
CHA officials said they hope to
begin building the huge Langley
headquarters and the parkway
extension next spring, and finish
about three years from now.
They said another $40 million
will be needed, however, if the
new center is to house all CHA
employees here. now scatterd in
about IS Washington locations.
If the additional $40 million
should be refused, they said, a
number of "less sensitive" CHA
employees would have to remain
housed in about IL Of the more
permanent-type buildings the
agency now occupies. Most OF
the workers. however, are scat
tered in eyesore tempos which
will be vacated when the new
center is finished.
The new State Department
annex also will permit that
agency to consolidate employees
now scattered in 90 separate
buildings. Department officials
said this would permit saving
of $2.1 million a year.
Payroll Cut Not Estimated
The Appropriations Commit
tee. however, said it was
amazed to discover that no
present estimate Of future saw
ingS as a result Of the need for
fewer employees had been COM
puted by the department"
The committee made it plain
that it expects such an estimate
to be provided lin the near
future"
The committee also recon-
mended 5. $4,000 for the General
Services Administration to per-
nit purchase of private land
directly across the street from
the State Department annex
on the side of c street between
Twenty-f first and Twenty-third
streets NV.
! The $4,000 was only hall
the amount requested by GSA
The committee said this would
be enough for Initiating con-
domination" however.
i Last-Ditch Effort
/ Requests for this money rep
resented a last-ditch effort by
GSA to control private develop
ment in the Government area
just south Of the new State De-
Ipartment.
A year ago Congress refused
money to cond EN- n property
bought by the National Associa-
ton Of Life Underwriters for g
new headquarters on the south.
west corner of Twenty-seconc
and c streets NV. The money
sought this year would permit
GSA to condemn the Congel
Laundry property at Twenty
third and C streets, to provide
room for a land swap" with the
underwriters organization.
AS GSA outlined the swap tt
, Congress, the underwriters arr
willing to trade their tract fol
a site in the center of the bloch
between Twenty-second anc
Twenty-third, but farther back
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