Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-12-08
Bids Open Tuesday
On River Parkway
EorIy Sturt Due for 3.o-MiIe Route
Between D. c. Line, Goblin John
BY GEORGE BEvERIDGE

on the George Washington Me-
mortal parkway along the Po-
tomac River in Maryland.
The bids will cover grading
and drainage work for a So
mile stretch Of two-lane park
way between the District-Mary-
land line and a point just Der
You'd Cabin John.
The parkway is planned as a
divided. four-lane road which
eventually will extend all the
way TO Great Falls--matching
a similar parkway which al
ready is under construction on
the Virginia side Of the Potomac.
Park officials. however, have
decided to build only one Of
the two-lane portions Of the
Maryland road at this time.
Ready By Spring Of 1860
Conrad L. Wirth, National
Park Service director. said he
hoped that the two-lane road
would be paved and ready for
use between the District line
end Cabin John 'by the Spring
of 1860"
He said his Office intends to
stick by plans for eventual con-
struction of the other two lanes
Of the four-lane parkway, but
that he could not hazard a
guess on when the other two
lanes will be built. He said his
present thinking was that the
two-lane road - one lane in
each direction should be
extended all the way to Great
Falls before the second road
way is added.
BY the time 1t is ready for
use Mr.. With said, the Dis
trict end Of the 39-mile stretch
will be extended within the
District TO connect with Canal
road ct Chain Bridge. At the
Cabin John end. the road would
connect with Macarthur blvd.
Objections Reduced
BY building only two lanes
Of the four-lane parkway i'm
mediately. park officials have
reduced somewhat the objec-
tons of conservation groups
which oppose any road in the
park area near the Chesapeake
q Ohio Canal.
Mr.. Wirth. however. said the
major reason for building two
lanes at the present time is
that funds were available only
for this much work. Actually.
the park lands trsversed by the
road were acquired jointly by
Maryland and the Federal Gov
eminent for the specific pur-
pose Of building a parkway. The
general understanding has been
that four lanes would be built
The new grading work for
the parkway will follow a path
on the hillside between MacAr-
thur boulevard and the Gao
Canal. Ofhcials said that at
most points it will be at least
100 feet from the canal. At the
District end. the parkway also
is designed to connect eventu-
ally with Maryland's Little Falls
Branch parkway. This parkway.
extending northward from the
river to Bradley boulevard in
Bethesda. now is under con-
struction between Bradley and
River road.
Relocation Of Trolley Tracks
At one point beyond the Dis
trict line. the two-lane George
Washington parkway will cross
the C. Transit Co.'S Cabin
John streetcar tracks. remain
on the north side Of the tracks
for about half a mile. then re-
cross the tracks to the south
side.
Negotiations are under way,
however. Mr.. Wirth said, to re-
locate the streetcar tracks
slightly to the north at this
point. and to use the existing
Streetcar right-of-way for the
two-lane parkway route. BY the
time the other two lanes Of
the parkway are added. Mr..
Wirth said. the Streetcar opera
ton is expected to have been
abandoned.
Mr.. Wirth said he also In
tends TO order plans drawn for
the eventual extension OF the
parkway within the District
at National Park Service ex-
pense-as far as the Glover
Archbold parkway. Glover
Archbold hits Canal road Just
east Of Foxhall road.
Route 240 Controversy
District Highway Depart
ment officials. however. are
strongly backing q plan to
bring the controversial Route
240 expressway over precisely