Last arch piece placed for largest bridge project in D.C. DOT history

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Updated Aug 31, 2020
The last piece to the last arch for the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge is placed. Photo credit: DDOTThe last piece to the last arch for the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge is placed. Photo credit: DDOT

The last piece of the final arch for the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C., has been placed.

The District Department of Transportation is hailing the completion of the last of the new bridge’s six arches as a significant milestone on what is the largest public infrastructure project in DDOT history.

Construction now turns to the new bridge deck, which will have six lanes of vehicle traffic, as well as a bike and pedestrian pathway. The bridge is scheduled to be completed late next year, DDOT says.

The six completed arches of the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge. Credit: DDOTThe six completed arches of the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge. Credit: DDOT

The new bridge is being built within 100 feet from the current bridge, which is 70 years old and carries about 77,000 vehicles a day, mostly of Maryland commuters to and from D.C. Features of the bridge include four pedestrian overlooks, traffic ovals on each end, and two piers “that will seem to float on the Anacostia River,” DDOT says. The goal is to improve traffic flow as well as improve economic development in the Anacostia area.

The bridge replacement is the first phase of the two-phase South Capitol Street Corridor Project. The second phase will involve reconstructing the Suitland Parkway/I-295 interchange.

The contractor for the first phase is a joint venture of Archer Western Construction and Granite Construction companies. AECOM is the lead designer, and HNTB is assisting DDOT with program and construction management.

To see the arch completion, click on the video below:

 

For an animation of the overall project, click on the video below: