Evening star., 1960-03-18

odlO, ID DdoCQ Oll Tile CoG1AlldOS4
cost of the interstate mileage
we submit. If we leave out the
Route 240 connection, we cut
about $85 million to $50 mill
lion from our four-year esti-
mate. This would reduce our
apportionment 20 to Is per
cent"
Mr.. Aitken said the District
would be morally" obligated
to build the Wisconsin avenue
expreSsway If it submitted a
route to qualify for the addi-
tional funds. However, he said
submission of a route would not
mean that the District would
have to build the expressway
with the funds received or OPP
portioned to the city during
that four-year period.
Sees Long Delay
The District highway direc-
tor said that since a Wisconsin
avenue expressway is not
planned or programmed, it
would not be built for some
time. But he said selection OF
a route by the District would
clear the way for Maryland
to plan and perhaps acquire
land for a connecting link in
the Bethesda Chevy Chase
area.
I Norman Pritchett. chief en-
gineer for the Maryland State
Roads Commission, said he had
attended the meeting with Mr..
Aitken in Mr.. Tallamy's Office.
I'VE wouldn't start buying
land unless we pretty we'll had
a route in mind" said Mr..
Pritchett. "and then only to
protect right of way from some
costly development"
Although no route in nearby
Maryland has been selected
for a Route 240 connection
and Mr.. Pritchett said he has
no official preference, Mary
land roadbuilders in the past
favored a Wisconsin avenue
Icorridor.
Ruote 240, known as Route
70S under the new interstate
designation, is Washington,s
express highway connection to
Route 40-the national east,
west highway. Route 240 is
now completed from Frederick
south to Pooks Hill, north of
Bethesda.
Search of Years
For nearly a decade, Mary
land and District officials have
been trying to find a route from
PookS Hill to the proposed In
nerloop around downtown
Washington on which they can
agree and which arouses the
least public opposition. About q
dozen route possibilities have
been proposed.
In 1858, the White House
called District. Maryland and
Federal road officials together
but even this command confer.
ence failed to settle the matter.
Last January, the staff of the
Maryland-National Capital
Park and Planning Commits
sion recommended a Wisconsin
avenue expresSway through
Bethesda, which would have
come into the District Just west
OF the intersection of Wiscon.
sin and Western avenues.
Business and civic groups and
residents of the Bethesda Chevy
Chase area protested at a pub
lie hearing that the proposed
expressway would cut through
populous and expensive resi-.
Dental and commercial proper
ty. Later. one of the business
groups. the Bethesda-Chevy
Chase Chamber of Commerce
reversed its stand and indorsed
the corridor link.
Pressure Suspected
Maryland planners voted not
to put the Wisconsin avenue ex-
pressway on the area master
plan. One of the chief objec-
tions to the proposal was that
the District had not selected a
route to which the Maryland
expressway could connect.
There is a strong feeling in
the District Building that Mr..
Tallamy's decision may have
been prompted by pressure
from the National Capital Plan
ming Commission, relayed
through the White House.
The commission. though in
dependent of the District Build
ing, is the city's official PLAN
ming agency. 1t has urged a
Route 240 connection in the
Wisconsin avenue area.
In reviewing past proposals,
Mr.. Aitken said he did not
think it would be practical to
try to rebuild the present Wis
consin avenue to expressway
standards because of the high
cost Of acquiring and tearing
down the big apartment and
commercial buildings on the
thoroughfare.
Mr.. Aitken said he wouldn't
want to guess" how the Com
missioners would vote on SUBJ
a Route 240 corridor to
the Bureau of Public Roads.
Two years ago. a similar pro-
posal was killed when the Com
misSioners turned it down by a
I'll vote. Commissioners yelling
and Karrick voted against it
and Commissioner Mclaughlin
for the Route 240 connection.