Senator TYDINGS. That is part of the potential development?
Mr. AIRIS. That is right.

We have a few other incidental usages. I do not happen to have photographs of them. Namely, one of the E Street Expressway between 21st and 22nd Streets that has been restored in part for street use and maybe even commercial use and park use at a later date. We have a development currently underway down in the Southeast Freeway wherein we are having to move two buildings of a housing project and in return are restoring street areas to project development. In addition, we are putting an apron over part of the freeway for use for recreation and parking over and under some of our freeway structures (photo No. 9).

All of those, sir, we have been doing over the years and are doing at the present time, and I do not think Mr. Kennan is really fair or correct in his statement. I think it is a deliberate falsehood, sir.

Senator TYDINGS. Mr. Airis, are you familiar with the design concept team approach which has been used in Baltimore in connection. with the Interstate System going through Baltimore?

Mr. AIRIS. I have heard of that team. I am not cognizant; I do not know exactly what is meant.

Senator TYDINGS. I am not certain I can describe it as an architect or engineer might. But instead of having the entire route based on the way the traffic engineer or structural engineer recommends, they bring in a team. And it includes, involves sociologists, involves architects, involves land-use planners. Let me read from the statement presented by the American Institute of Architects, where it says:

While it includes highway and traffic engineers as important members of the team, it also includes architects, landscape architects, economists, sociologists, acoustical engineers, illuminating specialists, and graphic artists. This team holds out the hope that design decisions will be made after evaluating the full spectrum of costs and benefits.

Not just moving the traffic through the community, but the entire relationship of the highway to the community. It takes into effect social factors, real estate economy, preserving open-space features like the Mall, together with the narrow spectrum of factors traditionally considered, functional efficiency, minimum first cost, and maximum safety.

Let me just read on :

Such a team cannot only develop broad urban design concepts capable of capitalizing the real benefits and minimizing the real costs for the entire corridor, but it can also create of the expressway system itself a civic monument no less significant for our civilization than were the aqueducts for the Roman civilization.

.

To give you the background in Baltimore, there was great public resistance to putting an Interstate System through Baltimore. I had great resistance myself just to putting in a highway in the middle of the city. I do not know whether Mr. Bridwell of the Bureau of Public Roads was the one who really conceived of it, but it is a step forward. What it does is realize the inevitability in transportation needs, but rather than having cloverleaves as in Los Angeles and other places, they put a concept design team to work and they put things together in such a way-and it costs more, no question about it--but in such a way that instead of being a complete liability to the community it can become a plus economy, plus housing, plus urban renewal situation, and so forth.

Do you get the message?

Mr. AIRIS. Exactly, sir. I was not familiar with it under that particular term, but that is exactly what we are doing at the present time. As you know, the Federal highway legislation provides there must be continuing planning transportation process in an urban area over 50,000. Here that is the transportation planning board and they are doing exactly this, as are also the National Capital Planning Com

mission. You see, we work closely with them and I think in each new project we have underway at the present time or will in the future have underway, we are doing exactly that. I do not know whether we call it by the same title.

Senator TYDINGS. They have actually in Baltimore gone a complete step to put together a real team so they work at the same time. The traffic efficiency expert and the designers are working, all working together, so they will come out with a finished package of recommendations that not only covers the traditional features but would include something like this on each step of the freeway system. I think it might be helpful if you would call them over from Baltimore and see just how they are doing it over there. I am glad to hear you are moving in that direction.

Mr. AIRIS. Yes, sir, and I would be very happy to talk with this gentleman. I would like to talk with him. I will talk with him.

Senator TYDINGS. All right. Well, I have no further questions then, gentlemen. Thank you very much, General Mathe, Mr. Airis.

Is Mr. Bridwell here? We are delighted to welcome you before this subcommittee, Mr. Bridwell. You may proceed.

STATEMENT OF LOWELL K. BRIDWELL, ADMINISTRATOR,
FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION

Mr. BRIDWELL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am particularly pleased to be here. Mr. Chairman, I have a brief prepared statement which is keyed into a group of slides which I would like to show, and I will go through that as quickly as I can because I know you are pressed for time, and I hope that this will stimulate some questions. I just heard the comments on the Baltimore concept team, and I would like to have the opportunity of discussing that for a few moments.

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I appreciate the opportunity to be here with you today. I understand that although this committee is considering Senate bills 1245, 1246, and 1247 at these hearings, it is S. 1245 which generated your invitation for me to appear before you.

The bill would authorize the District of Columbia Commissioners to permit use of public air space over freeways for building purposes. Mr. Chairman, you have informed me that this committee's interests are considerably broader and go beyond the confines of the District of Columbia. Consequently, I have tailored my remarks to give you an overview of the general concept of the use of air space, its applications, here in the United States and overseas, both past and present, and its possibilities for future use.

Space and the use of space have become subjects of increasing concern particularly in our urban areas where the area has relatively fixed dimensions but the demands for its use are multiplying every day. New and imaginative plans must be developed and must include the consideration for horizontal mobility-streets and highways—and it is the use of space over, under, and alongside the highways that I will focus on this morning.

Because of the many social, economic, engineering, and legal complexities associated with the use of air space, my remarks will, of necessity, be of a general nature.

The utilization of airspace is not entirely new. In fact, during the Roman era, structures were built in air space. One of the earliest examples is the Ponte Vecchio Bridge over the Arno River in Florence, Italy, which is demonstrated in figure No. 1.

Since its reconstruction in 1345, and in spite of bomb damage during World War II, the shops over the span still remain a tourist attraction today. The proposed Washington Channel waterfront pedestrian bridge to be located just southeast of the Jefferson Memorial here in the District of Columbia, is similar in concept (fig. 2). The old doctrine of the common law, "He who owns the soil owns everything below to the center of the earth and everything above to the heavens" has changed somewhat since the advent of air transport. Now "rights in air," commonly referred to as "air rights," have skyward limitations.

Although I am not prepared to go into the legal details, I do think it is appropriate to mention here that the legal ownership of air space takes three basic forms:

(a) Long- or short-term leases, for the use of air space.

(b) Fee or absolute title to the airspace.

(c) Easements for air space use, or conceivably, combinations of

all three.

FIGURE 1.-Florence, Italy, Ponte Vecchio Bridge. The bridge, built in Roman era, over the Arno River is one of the early uses of airspace. Since its reconstruction in 1345, and in spite of the bombing of its approaches during World War II, the shops over the span still remain a tourist attraction today. (Courtesy Alitalia Airlines.)