
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, February 20, 1995                   TAG: 9502210027
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WOODBRIDGE                                 LENGTH: Short

POTOMAC AS HIGHWAY COULD BEAT D.C. BELTWAY

A private partnership wants to use the Potomac River as a high-speed highway linking Washington with the suburbs of Virginia and Maryland. The high speed? 38 mph.

``Thirty-eight miles an hour may not seem so fast if you're going 55 miles an hour; but if you're stuck in traffic on I-95, it's great,'' said James J. Bamberger, a marine transportation consultant from New Jersey involved in the project. ``The technology has improved, yet the road conditions are getting worse.''

Bamberger and Washington lawyers V. Paul Zanecki and Frederick C. Rummage are hoping to begin ferry service next year between Woodbridge, Fort Washington, Md., and downtown Washington.

Previous plans to start such a service failed because the boats would have been too slow and the fares too high.

Potomac River Jet Inc. proposes to use three jet-propelled vessels capable of speeds of 38 mph or more. A 25-mile rush-hour trip from Woodbridge to the Pentagon could take about an hour, compared with about 90 minutes driving in the non-carpool lanes of Interstate 95.

Bamberger has overseen high-speed ferries in the New York City area, where the idea has caught on with suburban commuters seeking a faster alternative to driving into Manhattan. High-speed ferries also are being used in Boston, San Francisco and Seattle.

``It has great potential,'' said Alexandria Mayor Patricia S. Ticer. ``I have always thought we have underutilized the waterfront. I'd be very happy for our residents to have an alternative.''

by CNB