Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-02-02
Park Officials Push
Upshur Street Span
Wirth Says
District Has
Ignored Plan
BY GEORGE BEvERIDGE

countered District demands for
more speed in park road i'm
provements with a proposal that
the city build a high-level bridge
over Rock Creek Park at Upshur
street NV.
Conrad l.. Wirth, National
Park Service chief, said such a
bridge has been on official plans
for years. But the District rates
the project SO low it is not even
in their public works program.
/ Upshur street now ends on the
east side of Rock Creek Park on
a high bluff above Blagden ave-
nue., several blocks west of Six
tenth street.
"NO Status at Present"
| A plan for such an Upshur
street bridge, to connect with
Tilden street on the west side
of the park. was approved by the
Planning Commission a number
Of years ago and placed on the
commissions master highEay
plan. 1t has not been discussed
for years. however. and city
highway officials said it has mo
status with us at all at present"
The Wirth proposal was made
at a National Capital Planning
Commission meeting, after Brig.
Gen. Thomas A. Lane, District
Engineer Commissioner, criti-
.cized Mr.. Wirth for falling to
extend the Rock Creek and Po-
tomac parkway northward into
Rock Creek Park. Plans for this
project were approved by the
planning commission in 1948. A
few years ago. Mr.. With re-
ceived budget money to start the
job, but spent it for other
projects.
Extensions Singled Out
Gen. Lane urged the Park
Service especially to build those
parts of the extension project
that would let traffic get across
the park to Tilden street. That
traffic route was wiped out last
fall, when the District closed the
Park Road Bridge as unsafe.
Mr.. Wirth said the main rea-
son he didn't begin the parkway
extension a few years ago was
that he feared it would give the
District an opening to extend a
road all the way northward
through Rock Greek to connect
with the new Route 24O express
way in Maryland.
Now that the city is planning
a different Route 240 connection.
he said. he is ready to go ahead
with the extension. He con-
tended that cross-park traffic
needs. however, are THE Dis
trict's responsibility" which
could be met by the Upshur
street bridge.
The exchange ended when Mr.
Wirth and Gen. Lane agreed to
"a personal meeting next week to
try to agree on projects each will
budget.
On another matter, planning
commission chairman Harland
Bartholomew announced he will
contact the District Commits sion-
ers about the possibility Of pint
meetings between the two groups
to discuss "our mutual prob
lens
He said he understood such
meetings have been held in the
past. A number of years ago,
the two groups met annually.
Single Meeting Proposed
Gen. Lane said he felt it
would be desirable to have one
get-acquainted session, but that
he saw no purpose in regular,
routine meetings. The general
said the Districts main prob
lem has not been with the plan
ming commission as a whole, but
with individual members of the
commission who represent other
agencies whose views oppose
many city projects.
Mr.. Bartholomew also re-
quested that the planning COM
mmission participate directly in
studies under way by a District
consultant to plan new express
way along the Potomac River,
which will link the inner loop
freeway network in Foggy Bot
tom with Route 240 near Cabin
John. Md.
Gen. Lane said he did not see
how the planning commission
could participate Immediately,
since the studies are being con-
Quoted by the consultant under
direct contact with the city. He
promised that the studies would
be given to the commission. how
ever, as soon as they are finished.
Consultant Explains
Earlier, the consultant. Harold
Aitken of the Clarkeson Engi-
neering Co., Boston, explained
reasons for proposing the new
Potomac River expressway to
Maryland. Mr.. Bartholomew con-
tended that an eXpressway route
that ran from the inner loop to
Route 240 near Bethesda would
have more value. A chief reason,
he argued. was that high traffic
volumes on this route probably
would make feasible a mass
transit system in conjunction
with the road.
On other subjects, the plan
ners.
/. Rejected a suggestion by
commission director John Nolen,
jr., that they oppose a possible
interchange between Glebe road
and the George Washington
Memorial parkway in Virginia.
H. j. Spelman, Bureau Of Pub