Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-12-28

An official at the DistriC
success is usually measured ST.
million span over the Potomac
Although the Capital Beltway,
of which the bridge is a seq
ment, won't be completed until
late 1864, 6.8 million vehicle
trips across the span already
have been recorded.
Last December, most traffic.
wisened motorists who looked
forward to the opening of the
l.1-mile bridge hoped for less
frustrating, II not entirely ex-
hilarating. trips between home
and work. Generally, they
haven't been disappointed.
Many drivers, bound for such
points as the Boiling and Ana
costa Air Force bases, cut their
travel time In half by using the
new bridge instead Of the over
burdened Fourteenth street
bridges.
Other Routes Benefited
Even some motorists who
didn't use the bridge benefited
for q short period while hun
dreds Of their fellow drivers
substituted the new span for
the usual crowded routes. But
after traffic on the Fourteenth
street bridges decreased slightly
for several months, as the Dis
trict Highway Department had
predicted, the decline unex-
pectdly ended.
In recent months, the Four
tenth street bridges have been
carrying 4 per cent more traf-
fic than during comparable pc
RODS last year, while daily traf-
fic on the Woodrow Wilson
span has almost doubled since
February.
However, District highway
officials can see a bright side
to this development. IF it
weren't for the Woodrow Will
son Bridge, we don't know what
would have happened to the
Fourteenth street traffic." said
Joseph F. Rice, District high
way research director.
IF the $4,000 drivers who
use the bridge on weekdays
were to use the other Potomac
crossings. you would get a pic
ture Of its Importance" When
the beltway is completed and
the bridge traffic reaches an
expected $4,000 cars daily, the
significance will be even more
pronounced, he said.
Others who expected benefits
included merchants near both
ends Of the bridge. They fore
saw new business at each
others expense, with Prince
Georges County shops attract
ing Northern Virginia custom
ers and Alexandria drawing pa
irons from Maryland. Both
groups report they were right.
Alexandria stores have had a
steady but not sensational"
increase in the number of shop
pers from Maryland, according
to Nora Lamborne, executive
secretary of the Alexandria Re-
tail Merchants Association.
Last summers annual business
promotion week, Alexandria
Days" attracted 20 per cent
more shoppers from Maryland
than in the previous year, she
said.
However. Alexandria mer-
chants advertised heavily in
Prince Georges County and ex-
pected better results, she
added.
Thurman Eldridge, general
manager of the NARROW Heights
Shopping Center, one of three
centers near the Maryland end,
said. I'VE have a lot Of Virginia
trade over here and I notice
that Virginia says that it has
a lot Of trade from here"
A considerable number" of
Virginia license plates were
seen among the $500 cars that
packed the center's parking lot
before Christmas, he said.
The merchants said two prin-
cipal factors have accounted for
the Interstate swapping OF
customers: some Alexandrians
seek the county's condensed
shopping centers with free
parking. while county residents
prefer to avoid the Maryland
sales tax.
Drink With Dinners
Virginia's liquor law is a
third factor. Mrs. Lamborne
=