Underpass Challengers Urge Whitmore to Delay

Six important opponents of the Memorial Drive underpasses met privately yesterday with Howard Whitmore Jr. '29, the newly-appointed commissioner of the Metropolitan District Commission. According to reliable sources, they asked for no commitments from Whitmore and he gave none.

Instead, the group--including Charles P. Whitlock, assistant to the President for Civic and Governmental Affairs, and Charles W. Eliot '20, professor of City and Regional Planning--merely detailed its opposition to the underpasses. It is generally agreed, however, that Whitmore is more disposed to the anti-underpass campaign than his predecessor, Robert F. Murphy.

Under a 1962 legislative act, the MDC is obligated to build the underpasses at River St., Western Ave., and Boylston St. Although the money is available to build them, Whitmore must decide when to begin construction, and it is believed that he will delay until the underpass opponents have exhausted all possibilities or repealing or modifying the original authorizing legislation.

Between 100 and 200 underpass opponents are expected to appear at a State House hearing today to back three bills that would alter this legislation by either subjecting the underpasses' construction to new controls or revoking the authorization all together.

Two new factors--the possibility that the Kennedy Memorial Library will be located on the Bennett St. MBTA yards and the recent emphasis President Johnson has placed on open urban spaces--have given underpass opponents cause for cautious optimism in this year's legislative battle.

Last year a number of anti-underpass bills were defeated in the legislature. However, if the Library does build on the MBTA yards, observers believe that they will want to help resolve the conflict between the aesthetics of the river front area and the car-carrying capacity of Memorial Drive.

Another factor that might win a few votes for the anti-underpass cause is the state's dire financial situation. According to this theory, the high cost of the underpasses, about $7 million, might induce some legislators to switch.

Despite these new elements, the votes on the underpass bills will probably be very close and their chances for success seem to depend largely upon how hard two Cambridge legislators--Rep. John J. Toomey and State Senator Francis X. McCann--continue their support of the underpasses.