By Alan Sipress
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 21, 1999; Page B01

Federal transportation officials said yesterday they may be able to keep the proposed replacement of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on schedule while simultaneously complying with a U.S. District Court judge's order that the project undergo more environmental review before it is built.

At a rare meeting of the entire congressional delegation from the immediate Washington area, Department of Transportation officials said they would consult with their counterparts from the Department of Justice to determine whether the judge's ruling would allow them to proceed as planned with design work, permitting and property acquisition.

But the proposed strategy of pursuing the development of a 12-lane bridge while reviewing other alternatives drew skepticism from several members of Congress, who questioned whether those two tracks could be coordinated.

Lawmakers also warned that this might invite additional legal action from the Alexandria activists whose lawsuit prompted the unexpected decision by Judge Stanley Sporkin in Washington last week. Those concerns were underscored by the reaction of the bridge opponents when they learned of the meeting.

"They can't just try to dot all the I's and cross all the T's with respect to a 12-lane bridge," said Bert Ely, a leading Alexandria activist. "They're required to look at a 10-lane alternative. If they don't, I think they'd be setting themselves up for further legal action."

Transportation officials said they would report back by next week to the delegation about their deliberations with the Department of Justice concerning the legality of a two-track approach. The officials said they would also speak with the bridge opponents about any possible compromise as well as provide the delegation with more specifics about the proposed construction schedule, which was crafted so that a new span could open before heavy trucks are banned from the existing bridge in 2004.

"Our strategy is to work indefatigably on the bridge to keep it on the same course we're on now," said Rep. Constance A. Morella (R-Md.).

One measure of the alarm the court ruling provoked among the region's government and business leaders was the exceptional attendance at the Capitol Hill session, which drew seven House members and four senators, as well as top transportation officials from Virginia, Maryland and the District.

Although federal officials said they had not ruled out an appeal of Sporkin's decision, members of Congress and their staff said the tight construction schedule might make even a relatively short appeal untenable. Nor are the lawmakers convinced that the Department of Transportation would prevail in overturning the decision.

Despite differing viewpoints about the best way to react to the ruling last week, there was consensus within the delegation about erecting a 12-lane bridge – rather than the 10-lane crossing advocated by Alexandria activists and some environmentalists – and completing the project as quickly as possible.

The lawmakers were eager for transportation officials to recommend what Congress could do to advance the construction of the new $1.8 billion crossing. The Department of Transportation has yet to endorse any legislative initiative.

"We should use all tools available, including legislation if that's necessary, to stay on schedule to complete the 12-lane bridge on time," said Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.).

Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D-Md.) has already drafted legislation that would entirely exempt the project from any more environmental review. But other lawmakers at the meeting, especially the senators, had reservations about backing a bill that could set a national precedent gutting environmental oversight. Members of both houses said that they doubted that a blanket waiver could win congressional approval and that, in fact, opposition among representatives elsewhere in the country has already begun to coalesce.

The majority of members said they favored a more limited measure, perhaps attached to the emergency spending bill now pending in Congress, that would streamline the remaining review. But they did not rule out a more sweeping bill.

"We will do everything possible to get the bridge built in five years, even if it takes waiving all the environmental laws and regulations, which we prefer not to do," said Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), who was chiefly responsible for coordinating yesterday's session.