Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-10-17
WhiteHouse Backs
Shorter Rail Plan
District Engineer
Also Fuvors New
Transit Proposal
By SAM EASTMAN
Star staff Writer

AAAC pan 10 bClAS PAOPOoC0
by a key Congressman in a
major move to get the stalled
project under way.
The legislator. representa-
tive Whitener, chairman of a
House District subcommittee.
has announced that he will
press for the bobtailed version
of the rapid transit-subway
plan sent to Congress last May
by the White House.
The Kennedy administration,
1t was learned today. has in
dorsed the new proposal.
Specifically. the proposal by
Mr.. Whitener has the strong
Endorsement of Charles A.
Horsky. a special assistant to
President Kennedy on Wash
ington area matters.
Supported by Duke
For the District. Engineer
Commissioner Charles NJ. Duke
said the scaled-down transit
plan appears to be lone that
we would certainly support"
The main principle of plan
ming that we try to follow in
the District government is one
Of long-range flexibility." he
added. This proposal appears
to give Just that. 1t gives the
planners a free hand and does
not rule out the possibility OF
future transit construction that
may be required. I consider
this a logical plan to pursue.
Brig. Gen. Duke said he be-
lieves the proposal will have
a favorable impact" on the
deliberations Of the Special
Policy Advisory Committee
which is now re-examining the
need for the Three Sisters
bridge, the Potomac River free
way and the north leg of the
Inner Loop.
Group Meets Monday
This committee will meet
again Monday, Gen. Duke said,
and the new transit plan will
be on the groups agenda.
The initial transit plan,
drafted by the National Capital
Transportation Agency, calls for
a downtown subway system with
q network Of surface rail lines
flaming out deep into the
Maryland and Virginia suburbs.
1t carried a $792.S million price
tag, which has been labeled OPP
timistic by some officials.
Under the compromise plan,
the lines into the suburbs
would be shortened. The sub
way system also would be cut
back. The esttm a tie d cost is
$400.6 million.
Hearings Were Held
The compromise propose
has the support of the trans
portation agency officials, who
submitted 1t to Mr.. whitener
after he asked for feasible
scaled-do plan.
The subcommittee headed by
Mr.. Whitener, De ocrat of
North Carolina, held hearings
weeks ago on the administra-
tion-backed legislation to au-
orize construction Of the rapid
rail network. 1t was understood
that subcommittee m m bers
felt it would be futile to report
out the measure. The reasoning
was that the legislation would
never clear Congress because of
high construction cost esti-
mates and the bitter highway
rail transit fight.
Mr.. whitener has scheduled
Ia ubeommittee meeting
We dnes day to consider the
compromise $500 million plan.
Warren D. Quenstedt. deputy
administrator of Meta, said
the agency is delighted" by
Mr.. Whitener's move.
Highways Not Touched
The scaled-down plan does
not touch on highway routes.
In a report last November
proposing the $793 million rail
TRANSIT system, Meta recon-
mended against several major
projects planned by District
highway officials, including the
bridge at Three Sisters Islands.
In submitting the agency's
program to Congress, President
Kennedy asked that plans for
the bride and the two highway
links be shelved until the Dis
; trict's entire road program is
re-Studied.
POoks Hill Line
In the District, another line
would branch off from the
Pooks Hill route at Nineteenth
street and Florida avenue NV,
running to Georgia and New
Hampshire avenues.
} Under Mr.. Whitener's plan,
the lines would end at Wood
side, above Silver Spring; at
Anacostia; in Virginia at Pen
tagon City and RoSslyn; and at
Van Ness street and Connecti-
cut avenue, at the Bureau of
Standards. A short branch line
would run from Nineteenth
street and Florida avenue
north to Seventeenth street
and Columbia road.
! Both plans call for modern
C mmuter service on the
; Pennsylvania Railroad between
Union Station and Bowie, Md.