The Theodore Roosevelt Bridge (also known as the Teddy Roosevelt Bridge or the Roosevelt Bridge) is a bridge crossing the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

which connects

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, with the Commonwealth of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. The bridge crosses over

Theodore Roosevelt Island Theodore Roosevelt Island is an island and national memorial located in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. During the Civil War, it was used as a training camp for the United States Colored Troops. The island was given to the federal gover ...

, and carries Interstate 66/ U.S. Route 50. The center lane in the bridge is reversible; the middle barrier is moved with a

barrier transfer machine A barrier transfer machine, also known as zipper machine or road zipper, is a type heavy vehicle that is used to transfer concrete lane dividers, such as jersey barriers, which are used to relieve traffic congestion during rush hours. Many oth ...

. It's operated eastbound during the morning rush hour from 6-11 am. The bridge is named in honor of

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

, the 26th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

History

Plans for a new bridge across the Potomac River began circulating in the early 1950s. A bridge was first proposed (across Theodore Roosevelt Island, as it happened) in 1952, although at that time the bridge was to have linked with the

E Street Expressway Interstate 66 (I-66) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It runs from an interchange with I-81 near Middletown, Virginia, on its western end to an interchange with U.S. Route 29 (US 29) in Washingt ...

. The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Association (later renamed the Theodore Roosevelt Association, or TRA), which owned the island vigorously opposed any bridge across its land. In July 1954, various government agencies and members of Congress came together to propose a bridge connecting to

Constitution Avenue Constitution Avenue is a major east–west street in the northwest and northeast quadrants of the city of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was originally known as B Street, and its western section was greatly lengthened and widened betw ...

NW (although debate continued and numerous unsuccessful proposals were made to move the bridge to other locations over the next four years). Less clear was where the bridge would land on the Virginia side of the river. Five locations for the crossing were considered. In order of preference, they were: 1) South of Little Island, 2) Over the northern end of Theodore Roosevelt Island, 3) Over Little Island, 4) Over the center of Theodore Roosevelt Island, and 5) Over the southern end of Theodore Roosevelt Island. TRA president

Frank Ross McCoy Frank Ross McCoy (October 29, 1874 – June 4, 1954) was a United States Army officer. He served in the Philippines, during World War I, and led an American relief mission to Tokyo after the 1923 earthquake. He retired from military service in 1 ...

, a vocal opponent of the bridge, died in 1954, weakening the TRA's bargaining position. In July 1955, the association agreed to allow the federal government to use the southern end of Theodore Roosevelt Island. The

United States Commission of Fine Arts The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the U ...

approved a steel bridge design in December 1955. President

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

signed legislation authorizing the bridge on June 4, 1958. This legislation designated the bridge for the first time as the "Theodore Roosevelt Bridge". Construction of the bridge began in 1960, and it opened on June 23, 1964.

Rehabilitation

Theodore Roosevelt Bridge underwent minor rehabilitation work overseen by the

District of Columbia Department of Transportation The District Department of Transportation (DDOT, stylized as d.) is an agency of the government of the District of Columbia, in the United States, which manages and maintains publicly owned transportation infrastructure in the District of Columbi ...

(DDOT) in 2013. After this work, DDOT inspected the bridge in 2014 and discovered additional need for repair. Due to heavy funding needs to replace or repair other bridges in the city, DDOT pushed the date for these repairs to 2021. As of June 2022, emergency work on the bridge is expected to be finished in the summer of 2022. A full rehabilitation of the bridge is expected to begin in 2024 at the earliest."Wider sidewalks, higher railings, new lighting planned for Roosevelt Bridge"
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The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

,'' June 2, 2022 TheodoreRooseveltBridge3

References

{{Coord, 38, 53, 32, N, 77, 03, 34, W, display=title Roosevelt, Theodore Bridge Bridges completed in 1964 U.S. Route 50 Bridges over the Potomac River Buildings and structures in Arlington County, Virginia Transportation in Arlington County, Virginia Road bridges in Washington, D.C. Road bridges in Virginia Interstate 66 Bridges on the Interstate Highway System Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Roads with a reversible lane Steel bridges in the United States Girder bridges in the United States 1964 establishments in Virginia 1964 establishments in Washington, D.C.

History

Rehabilitation

See also

References