Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-29
Way Smoothed
For New Bridge
AT Jones Point
Permit Approved;
Two Stotes Agree
On Operation Costs

Two sudden developments
apparently have removed OBJ
stacles to immediate construc-
ton of the six-lane Potomac
River Bridge at Jones Point.
They are:
l. Approval today by Maj.
Gen. E. c. Itschner, chief of
Army Engineers, of a construc-
ton permit which would let the
Federal Bureau of Public Roads
build the bridge with a vertical
clearance of so feet and a hori-
zontal clearance of ITS feet be-
tween piers in the navigation
channel. Gen. Itschner's action
now goes to the Secretary of
the Army, where final concur
renee is expected.
2. Agreement by the States of
Maryland and Virginia to share
maintenance and operation costs
of the bridge, with the under
standing that the District Com
miSSioners later will support new
Legislation to make sharing of
the costs a three-way Maryland
Virginia District split.
Lane Pledges Support
District Engineer Commits
sioner Thomas A. Lane agreed
at a conference yesterday to sup
port the future legislative move
after Maryland and Virginia Of
ficials said they would sign an
agreement for a two-way shar-
ing of costs Immediately so con-
struction of the bridge can start
rigth now. At present, the law
requires that Maryland and Vir-
ginia sign such an agreement be-
fore building can start.
At a follow-up meeting today,
the District Board of Commits
sioners ratified Gen. Lanes
agreement as to the future steps.
There also has been consid-
cradle question as to whether
Congress would have to amend
the present law specifying bridge
clearances. Gen. Itschner's &C
ton on a building permit today.
however, apparently wipes out
that requirement.
Representative Broyhill, Re-
publican. of Virginia, who ar
ranged the conference yester-
day. said he was assured by
Bureau of Public Roads officials
that the two actions wipe out
every obstacle and will permit
the project to go ahead immedi-
ately."
Money Appropriated
Money for construction has
been appropriated. Mr.. Broy-
hill said the roads bureau said
lit will be ready to issue "con-
tracts for detailed construction
plans" as soon as Maryland and
Virginia sign the maintenance
agreement.
The clearance step, meanwhile,
drew a blast of protest. John
E. Smith. jr., chairman of the
Washington Board of Trades
Washington Channel Improve
ment Subcommittee, declaring it
would kill plans for part devel-
opment here and in Alexandria.
Mr.. Smith pointed out that
plans call for maintaining Wash
Iington as passenger port and
Alexandria as a freight port.
But if the bridge is constructed
as proposed, it will bottle up
navigation 1000 yards from the
Alexandria dock" downstream,
because of inadequate horizontal
bridge clearance.
He would like to see 300 feet
horizontal clearance authorized.
Mr.. Smith advocates that the
paragraph of the law pertaining
to horizontal clearance be re-
written so as to empower the
Army Engineers Corps to author
ize redesigning the bridge in
accordance with navigational
interests.
Possibilities Listed
With proper navigational depth
of a 36-foot channel, some 300
feet wide. about 80 per cent of
the worlds shipping would be
able to come to Alexandria, Mr..
Smith asserted.
The agreement between the
two States had the immediate
effect of freeing the construction
funds because the supplemental
bill of last July said the SLAB
million appropriation would be
effective only upon the final
consummation of agreements
for the maintenance and opera
ton Of the bridge and APP
proaches by the States of Vir-
ginia and Maryland"
Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Lane,
District Engineer Commissioner
said his colleagues had agreed
to make the division of mainten-
ance costs a three-way PROPOSE
ton to prevent further delay in
beginning construction.