3 Drive Bills Reported Out For Debating

A joint legislature committee yesterday reported unfavorably on three bills to book construction of the Memorial Drive underpasses.

A floor fight is expected Monday or Tuesday, when the bills reach the House of Representatives, where they originated. Although a committee's report is not binding on the legislation, it often decides the fate of a measure.

Levin H. Campbell 48, (R-Cambridge), who co-sponsored the underpass bills, said last night that "variable's" made it "hard to predict" how the bills would fare in the House.

Edward L. Bernays, organizer of the Citizens Emergency Committees to Save Memorial Drive, said that the bills' chances were not good, but added. "From a tactical viewpoint, we are just where we expected to be at this time.

Bernays said that he saw a state-wide campaign against the underpasses shaping up, and cited an article in this week's Time magazine as evidence of growing public interest. "I think an informed public, when as--and of--aroused, is stronger than dumb politicians," he said.

The bills that came out of the General Court's Metropolitan Affairs Committee yesterday are:

* H1358, which would repeal Chapter 554 of the Acts of 1962, directing the Metropolitan District Commission to build 'underpasses or overpasses' along Memorial Drive.

* H585, which would direct the MDC to give first attention to the improvement of Alewife Brook Parkway in northwestern Cambridge, while leaving any improvements on Mem Drive to the agency's discretion.

* H2373, which would ask the MDC to postpone construction on Memorial Drive until after it had studied Alewife Brook Parkway and reported to the City Council.

Still pending in the Committee on Transportation and the Committee on Highways and Motor Vehicles are two bills that provide for a temporary moratorium on highway construction while the transportation needs of Greater Boston are being studied.