Evening star., 1960-04-27
Land Being Taken
For New Freeway
Acquisitions,
Options Set
At las Acres
By ALFRED ALIBRANDO
Star STAFF Writer

NOuAlGy IOl ali OuCGl DelG lIe6-
way four to six miles beyond
the Capitol beltway (Circum-
ferential highway, which is
still three to five years from
completion.
Maryland State highway of
ficials and the Maryland Ma
tional Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission said today
that land bought, reserved or
dedicated to public use within
the 300-foot right-of-way for
the beltway totals las acres.
OF this amount, the State
owns 48 acres and has options
on 81 more. An additional SOS
acres has been reserved and
seven acres dedicated to public
use.
Reservation System
Planning commission officials
said that when land is reserved,
the owner is freed from the
obligation of paying taxes for
a three-year period but con-
tinues to use the land. To ac-
quire permanent title, the
State must purchase the land
before the three-year reserva-
tion expires.
The outerbelt was first
shown on the planning COM
missions master highway plan
five years ago. 1t was once in
cluded in the States long
range road-building program
but since has been taken off
the program because of q
shortage of highway funds.
However. Norman Pritchett,
chief engineer for the Mary
land State Roads Commission,
said he would like to see as
much right-of-way acquired
now as possible.
THE area is developing very
fast" he said, land may be-
come very expensive if we don't
move soon. Our problem now is
that we just don't have the
money to buy right-of-way and
we can buy only a few crucial
tracts where we feel we have
to protect the right-of-way,
even though the outerbelt
won't be built until 1870 or
later"
Outerbelt Routes
AS shown on the Maryland
master plan, the outerbelt
starts in Prince Georges Coun-
ty just south of the Prince
Georges-Anne Arundel county
line, passes north of the Indian
Springs Country Club in Mont
gomery County and continues
north of Randolph road.
The outerbelt route would
cross the Potomac River about
two miles north of Potomac,
Md, in the River Bend area.
This crossing has been agreed
upon by area planners.
The Fairfax Planning Divi-
sion is now working on a con-
tinuation of the route through
Virginia. Preliminary studies
have indicated the route prob
ably would pass just east Of
Herndon, Centreville and Dull
les International Airport, cross
ing the Potomac south of
GunSton Hall.
The route from the Potomac,
through Prince Georges Coun-
ty and around to the Bowie
area has not been determined.
Both Fairfax and Mont
gomery County officials are
using subdivision control to
protect rights-of-way. FIRE.
quently this is achieved through
negotiations with developers.
I'VE reserved "a miles of the
Circumferential Capitol belt
way in Virginia" said Rosser
Payne, chief planer for the
Fairfax Planning Division, land
had to take only four houses. !"
Meeting With Smith
Mr.. Payne said Fairfax PLAN
nerS are now meeting with A.
Smith Bowman, a distillery
owner, who controls several
thousand acres east of Hern-
don on which a large commu-
nifty is to be built. The plan
ners hope to reach an agree
ment which would reserve an
outerbelt route through the
proposed development.
In discussing plans for the
outerbelt, local and State high
way and planning officials
pointed out that while there
appears to be little need for
such a freeway now, residen-
tial development by 1880 will
have pushed beyond the Capt.
tol beltWay.
The Capitol 'beltway and the
outerbelt are part of a plan for
a series of concentric freeways
in and around Washington to
provide better dispersal of
traffic. The system includes the
innerbelt, around the down.
town core, an intermediate belt
(Still within the District and
Arlington County,. the Capitol
beltway and the proposed out
erbelt.