Evening star., 1960-09-04
RoadFund Increase
Sought by District
Officials Ask
$112.5 Million
More u. S. Aid
BY GILBERT GIMBLE
Star Stan Writer

Star Stan Writer
District highway officials
have increased by some $112.5
million their request for Fed
eral aid for construction Of
roads in the interstate highway
system.
Revising earlier estimates,
the highway planners have
submitted a new total Of $3.50
million for road construction
which the District feels should
come under the Federal aid
plan.
Federal funds for projects
qualifying for interstate high
way aid cover 80 per cent
of the cost. The District
pays the remaining 10 per cent.
The new District estimate is
more than IS per cent greater
than the $355 million origin
ally sought in 1857.
If the $3.50 million figure Is
approved as qualified for the
Federal aid program, it will
mean the District will get some
$125 million in road improve
ments at a cost Of about $12.5
million in matching funds.
Approval Uncertain
There is. however, uncer-
tainty as to how much Of the
requested funds will be ap-
proved. Congress is due to re-
examine the entire interstate
Federal aid program next year.
Revised estimates are being
submitted by the various States
to the Federal Buearu Of Pub
lie Roads in preparation for
review of the fund apportion-
ment.
District Highway Director
Harold L. Aitken explained that
the increase in the Federal aid
request is due primarily to the
relocation Of District connec-
tionS with interstate routes
coming in from Maryland.
To be certain that Federal
funds are earmarked for two
major District road projects.
highway officials made tenta-
tive indications for connections
with Route 240 Interstate
. Route 70-S) in the Wisconsin
avenue corridor and a third
route to Baltimore west Of the
University of Maryla n d
grounds.
MIR. Aitken emphasized that
} no final decisions have been
made on either Of these routes,
The estimates for the connec-
J tions were used so that all an
ticipated needs could be in
cluded in the request fol-
Federal interstate funds.
Location of Route 240 as 1t
} comes into the District has
, long been a matter of dispute.
; The lowest estimate Of cost
would bring the route in by
way of the Wisconsin avenue
! area. This has been the loca-
tion backed by the Bureau OF
Public Roads, whose officials
determine whether the project
would qualify for Federal aid.
The Route 240 connection fol-
lowed the Potomac River un-
Ider the 1857 plan, but this has
been discarded.
5-Year Freeze
Actually, Congress h a S
clamped a 5-year freeze on all
major highway construction in
the controversial Wisconsin
avenue corridor and other
areas Of Northwest Washing
ton. This was done in the law
setting up the new National
Capital Transportation Agency
which is to start making plans
for a mass transit system to
serve the entire region.
OF the $480 million total es-
innate for the interstate sys-
tenn, which is expected to be
completed in 1878, the District
has obligated about $40 mil
lion so far. Right now, Mr.
Aitken said, the District is
, about a year behind in obligat-
ing its share of Federal inter-
, state money because of spend
ing limitations imposed after
, serious depletion of the high
way trust fund last year.
The District has not been
; allowed to obligate about $25
, million of its portion of Federal
! aid funds since the highway
money shortage hit.
Mr.. Aitken, appearing on
WWDC'S Report to the
People" last night, said Dis
trict highway officials were
: ready Ito really get going on
the construction progra
when the Federal trust fund
; ran into trouble last year. Dis
trict road projects under the
interstate system that are cur
J. rently under way include the
Southwest freeway, the Ana
costa freeway, the Potomac
5 River bridges and other i'm
:, provementS.
. Mr.. Aitken said highway
2 planners should start thinking
Of moving buses faster-on ex-
pressways and along reserved
!, street lanes-to help solve the
mass transit problem.
! He reported that District
hig way officials are now
l studying certain streets pro-
, posed for use with reserved
= bus lanes. He also said bus use
of the Whitehurst freeway
might relieve some congestion
on other streets and move Vir-
ginia- bound buses through the
city faster.
, He noted that in the past
fiscal year the District COM
pleted construction of 44.5
miles Of streets, including por-
tinns of such major arterials as