Evening star., 1962-09-07

AFTER rea0lng the wash
ington newspapers that ac-
eumulated during my recent
motor trip through New Eng
land, / am shocked to learn
what some Of the planners,
political parties, agencies and
so-called civic groups are try
ing to do to Washington.
am referring to the freeway
and bridge hysteria that
seemed to reach its crescendo
during the early August
budget hearings on the Hill.
After reading some Of those
provincial statements against
modern freeways and bridges
to relieve traffic, one wond-
ers IL our local civic leaders
have ever ridden in q car or
bus beyond the District Line
in the past 10 years.
Don't our planning and
civic leaders know that Vir-
ginfa's construction Of Inter-
state Freeway No. 66 from
the Shenandoah Valley is
nearing completion through
Fairfax County right now?
Don't they know that Inter-
state Route 95 (from Flori-
da to Maine) is finished
through Richmond and Pet
ersburg, and will soon be
open to the Washington sub
urbs? How do the D. c. "sages
and solons" who are trying
to delay or kill the freeway
program propose to take care
Of all that new traffic from
across the Nation? Haven't
those progresses shoppers been
around the U. s. lately to
learn what is going on else
where or even glanced at a
road map to see the new in
terstate freeways?
For example, I found that
Interstate Superhighway No.
95 is finished across most of
Connecticut, and several sec
tions Of 1t are open in the
Boston area and along the
New Hampshire and Maine
coasts. It does not avoid the
cities. It goes right through
them - where we tourists
want to 60.
The Arlington County gov
ernment is bowling against
another Potomac bridge
(which Arlington would not
even have to pay for) while
my map shows IL bridges
across the Charles River from
Boston to Cambridge and
Charlestown. If old, tradi-
tion-bound Boston, my for
mer home, can modernize its
traffic facilities, why can't
my new home Of Washing
ton? When all Of the East
Coast States have completed
Superhighway 95, I hope the
Nations Capital will not be
the missing link"
Robert HuddlestOn Walker.
-
The 14th Street Bridge is
hardly recognizable as the
same bridge since the OPEN
ing to traffic Of the new
Washington Channel and
18th Street tunnel express
ways.
District highway officials
responsible for this valuable
improvement are due con-
gratulations. especially from
the thousands of bus riders
and motorists who daily
commute via 14th Street
Bridge. Now vehicles are
moving across the bridge
and along Fourteenth street
with dispatch. Here Is real
evidence of valuable returns
and benefits for our tax
dollars. Why can't we have
more Of this?
The savings in time and
motor fuel, no longer wasted
while idling and inching
along waiting for traffic to
open ahead, more than justi-
fies the taxes collected from
highway users to build this
improvement.
Still much greater benefits
await the highway users once
the entire planned freeway
system is completed. The new
unit just recently opened to
traffic is but a small part of
the intended whole, so its full
potential benefits, despite the
great advantages already at
tained, are yet to be realized.
Yet there are those who are
asking Congress to call off
and condemn highway prog
ress. Let the public not be
deluded by statements that
highways are choking our
cities. Quite the reverse, lack
of highways, is the choking
force. Much Of the agitation
to condemn freeways is being
propagated by subway advo.
Gates. Their plea is that the
yet unborn" subways will bs
robbed Of needed revenues ii