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The Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge (also known as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge or the Wilson Bridge) is a
bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...
that spans 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 Augu ...
between the
independent city An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...
of
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
,
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 are ...
, and Oxon Hill in
Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrooks ...
,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...
, United States. The original bridge was one of only a handful of drawbridges in the U.S.
Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...
. It contained the only portion of the Interstate system owned and operated by the federal government until construction was completed and it was turned over to the
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 are ...
and Maryland departments of transportation. The Wilson Bridge carries Interstate 95 (I-95) and I-495 (the Capital Beltway). The drawbridge on the original span opened about 260 times a year, frequently disrupting traffic on a bridge that carried about 250,000 cars each day. The new, higher span requires fewer openings. The bridge's west abutment is in Virginia, a small portion is in Washington, D.C., and the remaining majority of it is within Maryland (because that section of the Potomac River is within Maryland's borders). About of the western mid-span portion of the bridge crosses the tip of the southernmost corner of the District of Columbia. It is the only bridge in the United States that crosses the borders of three state-level jurisdictions (D.C., Maryland, and Virginia). The section in Washington, D.C., is also the shortest segment of Interstate highway between state lines. The bridge is named for the 28th President of the United States,
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
(1856–1924), a native of
Staunton, Virginia Staunton ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities are separate jurisdictions from the counties that surround them, so the government off ...
. While he was president, Wilson reportedly spent an average of two hours a day riding in his automobile to relax or to "loosen his mind from the problems before him." President Wilson was an advocate of automobile and highway improvements in the United States. In 1916, he said, "My interest in good roads is...to bind communities together and open their intercourse, so that it will flow with absolute freedom and facility".


Original bridge

A bridge at Jones Point was first proposed by the District Highway Department in August 1952 as part of a study of Potomac River bridge crossing needs. The bridge linked to U.S. Route 1 and the
Shirley Highway The Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway, often shortened to Shirley Highway, consists of a portion of Interstates 95 and 395 in the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. Shirley Highway was the first limited-access freeway in Virginia. Begun in 1941, th ...
in Virginia. In
Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrooks ...
, the bridge would connect with Overlook Avenue and Chesapeake Street. It was also intended to link with the proposed extension of the
George Washington Memorial Parkway The George Washington Memorial Parkway, colloquially the G.W. Parkway, is a parkway that runs along the south bank of the Potomac River from Mount Vernon, Virginia, northwest to McLean, Virginia, and is maintained by the National Park Service ( ...
/Anacostia-Kenilworth Parkway (later built as the southern leg of the
Anacostia Freeway The Anacostia Freeway is a freeway in the U.S. state of Maryland and the District of Columbia. It follows: * Interstate 295 (Maryland–District of Columbia), a spur route connecting I-95 / I-495 and Maryland Route 210 (Indian Head Highway) near the ...
) in Prince George's (authorized by Congress in 1930 but never built) and the Inter-County Metropolitan Freeway (proposed in 1944, and later planned and constructed as the Capital Beltway). The Regional Planning Council approved construction of the bridge just four months later. The bridge won the backing of Rep.
Joel Broyhill Joel Thomas Broyhill (November 4, 1919 – September 24, 2006) was an American politician aligned with the Republican Party who served as a Congressman from Virginia for 11 terms, from 1953 to 1974. He represented Virginia's 10th congression ...
of Virginia, who championed legislation funding its construction in Congress. By November 1953, the
United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the ma ...
had also recommended its construction. Congress authorized construction of the bridge on August 17, 1954, and President Eisenhower signed the measure into law later that month. The bridge received its name through the efforts of Rep.
Burr Harrison Burr Powell Harrison (July 2, 1904 – December 29, 1973) was a Virginia lawyer, judge and Democratic politician who was a member of the Byrd Organization and served as U.S. Congressman representing Virginia's 7th congressional district (as ha ...
, a Virginian who sought to honor the 100th anniversary of the birth of Woodrow Wilson. Eisenhower signed this legislation into law on May 22, 1956, as part of a bill authorizing initial funding for the bridge. Construction of the bridge began in September 1958, and it opened to traffic on December 28, 1961.
Edith Wilson Edith Wilson ( Bolling, formerly Galt; October 15, 1872 – December 28, 1961) was the first lady of the United States from 1915 to 1921 and the second wife of President Woodrow Wilson. She married the widower Wilson in December 1915, during hi ...
, Wilson's widow, died that very morning; she was supposed to have been the guest of honor at the bridge's dedication ceremony. The 5,900-foot (1,798 m) bridge included a
bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...
to allow large, ocean-going vessels access to the
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
facilities of Washington, D.C. It had six traffic lanes and was designed to handle 75,000 vehicles a day. By 1999, the old Woodrow Wilson Bridge was handling 200,000 vehicles a day, more than 2.6 times the original design capacity. The bridge had serious maintenance problems, and underwent continuous patchwork maintenance beginning in the 1970s. It was completely re-decked in 1982 and 1983. One of the reasons for the excess traffic was that it was not originally planned to be part of the major north–south
Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...
, but rather, as part of the circumferential Capital Beltway. I-95 was planned to bisect the Capital Beltway with a shorter through-route, extending north from
Springfield, Virginia Springfield is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The Springfield CDP is recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau with a population of 30,484 as of the 2010 census. Homes and businesses in bordering CDPs includ ...
, across the Potomac River, through downtown Washington, D.C., and the northeastern section of the District, and into Maryland to reconnect with the Beltway near
College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and is approximately four miles (6.4 km) from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. The population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States Census. It is best known ...
. While the portions in Virginia and in the District south of New York Avenue were built, the remaining segment – designated the Northeast Freeway – was opposed by residents, and construction was canceled in the late 1970s. The portion north of Springfield was designated as a spur,
I-395 Interstate 395 may refer to: * Interstate 395 (Connecticut–Massachusetts), a spur from I-95 to Auburn, Massachusetts *Interstate 395 (Delaware), a proposed portion of I-95 in Delaware, when it was under construction *Interstate 395 (Florida), a sp ...
. The eastern half of the Capital Beltway was additionally signed as I‑95. Traffic was also boosted by growth in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and increases in suburb-to-suburb
commuting Commuting is periodically recurring travel between one's place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regu ...
. Because housing costs in
Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrooks ...
, are much lower than in
Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is a widespread region radiating westward and southward from Washington, D.C. Wit ...
 – which saw enormous job growth in recent decades – tens of thousands of workers commute daily over the bridge, a situation not anticipated when it was constructed. After the highway on both sides of the bridge was widened to eight lanes, the six-lane bridge became a daily bottleneck as heavy traffic slowed in order to funnel into fewer lanes. Two incidents demonstrated this. On November 11, 1987, a snowstorm snarled traffic; many commuters ran out of gas and spent the night in their vehicles on the bridge. In November 1998, the bridge was closed for several hours during the afternoon rush hour when Ivin L. Pointer engaged police in a seven-hour standoff, creating 20-mile traffic backups. (Pointer jumped off the bridge, but survived the fall.)


Replacement bridge


Construction

Maryland, Virginia, and federal highway officials had been confronting the problems and exploring alternatives for many years. After considerable study and public debate, officials chose a plan that would double the capacity and increase the height of the drawbridge to reduce the frequency of openings. The new bridge would include two side-by-side
drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of movea ...
s with a total of 12
lane In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each ...
s and of vertical navigational clearance at the draw span. The project also included an extensive redesign and reconstruction of the Capital Beltway as it approached the new bridge from the Maryland and Virginia sides. Construction began on the replacement facilities and approaches in 1999. Bridge construction began in October 2000 with the commencement of a dredging contract. On May 17, 2001, MSHA issued notice to proceed for the foundations contract. The preconstruction conference for the Bridge superstructure contract was held on September 11, 2001. The events of the day, including the crash of
American Airlines Flight 77 American Airlines Flight 77 was a scheduled American Airlines domestic transcontinental passenger flight from Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, to Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California. The Bo ...
into the nearby
Pentagon In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be sim ...
, caused the evacuation of the bridge foundation construction crews and disrupted the preconstruction meeting. On December 16, 2001, MSHA received only one bid (which was more than 70% above the engineer's estimate) and the bid was ultimately rejected. In total, the work was executed by 26 prime contractors and 260 subcontractors. The majority of the highway project was completed by 2009, and the upgraded Telegraph Road interchange was completed in early 2013. The Woodrow Wilson Bridge project received numerous awards, including four ARTBA national awards for environmental excellence, the ASCE OPAL award, the Gustav Lindenthal Award, the Marvin M. Black Excellence in Partnering award and the ACEC Grand Award. Starting in 2001 with an
FHWA The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program ...
-approved Financial Plan budget of $2.443 billion, the project completed its financial close in early 2015 at $2.357 billion—$86 million below its original budget after more than 10 years of construction. The first new, six-lane Potomac River bridge opened for northbound Outer Loop traffic on June 10, 2006, with only minor delays (the lane striping of the bridge and approach did not initially match up). The first car to cross was a
Toyota Corolla The is a series of compact cars (formerly subcompact) manufactured and marketed globally by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Introduced in 1966, the Corolla was the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has been one of the best-selling cars in ...
. On July 16, 2006 at midnight, traffic from the Inner Loop of the Beltway was rerouted to the future Outer Loop express lanes for two years. The original 1961 bridge was demolished at 12:35 a.m., on August 29, 2006, to make room for completion of the six-lane Inner Loop bridge, located between the original bridge and the new Outer Loop span. Local commuter Daniel Ruefly was given the honor of initiating the detonation after he won a contest where he was judged the driver to have suffered the most over the years from the bridge's congestion, with an estimated combined total of two and a half years spent in traffic caused by the bottleneck at the bridge. The airspace above the bridge, and the Beltway in both directions, were closed for the detonation, which happened 36 minutes behind schedule. The second bridge span was dedicated on May 15, 2008, and on May 30, 2008, Inner Loop traffic was shifted onto it. After the completion of the Wilson Bridge project, the State of Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia became the joint owners of the completed bridge, and both states exercise joint responsibility and oversight of bridge activities, maintenance, and operations. The
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.), Logan Circle, Jefferson Memoria ...
, a jurisdiction that once had ownership rights to the 1961 Wilson Bridge span, relinquished future ownership rights and responsibility for the new bridge. Additionally, the District granted a permanent
easement An easement is a nonpossessory right to use and/or enter onto the real property of another without possessing it. It is "best typified in the right of way which one landowner, A, may enjoy over the land of another, B". An easement is a propert ...
to Maryland and Virginia for the portion of the bridge located within its boundaries.


Use and features

Of the 12 lanes, six are used for local traffic. Four lanes, isolated from the local lanes, are used for through traffic. The bridge design allows for the remaining two lanes to be used by
Metrorail METRORail is the light rail system in Houston, Texas (United States). In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . METRORail ranks as the second most-traveled light rail system in the Southern United States and the 12th ...
or other mass transit, though there are no current plans to do so. The consultant team for the main bridge over the Potomac River included engineers of record Parsons Transportation Group; bridge architect
Miguel Rosales Miguel Rosales (born 1961 in Guatemala) is president and principal designer of Rosales + Partners, an architecture firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. He specializes in bridge aesthetics and design. Some examples of these bridges include; Phy ...
of Rosales + Partners; Consulting engineers were A. Morton Thomas & Associates, Inc.; Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers provided Geotechnical engineering; Subconsultants Finley McNary Engineers (piers) and Hardesty & Hanover, LLP (bascule span). Project management was provided by
Parsons Brinckerhoff WSP USA, formerly WSP, Parsons Brinckerhoff and Parsons Brinckerhoff, is a multinational engineering and design firm with approximately 14,000 employees. WSP stands for Williams Sale Partnership. The firm operates in the fields of strategic con ...
, Rummel, Klepper & Kahl LLP, and
URS Corporation URS Corporation (formerly United Research Services) was an engineering, design, and construction firm and a U.S. federal government contractor. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, URS was a full-service, global organization with office ...
. The northern span of the bridge also includes pedestrian and bike passage, separated from traffic by safety barriers. The path, which opened on June 6, 2009, is about wide and long, with "bump-out" areas where users can stop to observe views of Washington and
Old Town Alexandria Old Town Alexandria is one of the original settlements of the city of Alexandria, Virginia and is located just minutes from Washington, D.C. Old Town is situated in the eastern and southeastern area of Alexandria along the Potomac River. Old T ...
. The new spans are 20 feet (6 m) higher than the old bridge, high enough to allow most boats and small ships to pass underneath without having to raise the bridge and reducing the projected number of annual traffic-hindering openings from about 260 to about 60.


Gallery

File:2019-07-04 15 05 49 View south along Interstate 95 and Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway) crossing the Potomac River via the Woodrow Wilson Bridge from the pedestrian overpass for the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Trail in National Harbor, Maryland.jpg, View across the bridge from the Maryland side File:Capital Beltway Anacostia Freeway junction.jpg, Construction of interchange on the Maryland side in 2007; the bridge is just to the left File:Underneath Woodrow Wilson Bridge.jpg, The architecture beneath the Woodrow Wilson Bridge File:2007 04 25 - WWB 66.JPG, Painting application on the new span File:Wooddrow Wilson Bridge.jpg, Woodrow Wilson Bridge at Sunset, as seen from Marina Park, Alexandria, Virginia. File:WelcomeVA495WWB.jpg, Welcome to Virginia sign on the Inner Loop over the Wilson Bridge. A short stretch of the bridge just before this sign is in the
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.), Logan Circle, Jefferson Memoria ...
. File:2016-01-22 08 59 22 "Welcome To Maryland" sign on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (the northbound outer loop of the Capital Beltway (Interstate 95 and Interstate 495)) in National Harbor, Prince Georges County, Maryland.jpg, Welcome to Maryland sign on the Outer Loop over the Wilson Bridge. File:Woodrow Wilson Bridge boundary 2020a.jpg, Virginia–D.C. border marked on the bridge File:Woodrow Wilson Bridge boundary 2020b.jpg, D.C.–Maryland border marked on the bridge File:Woodrow Wilson Bridge Open.jpg, The Woodrow Wilson Bridge open for the passing of a vessel, as seen from Alexandria, Virginia


See also

* CTI Consultants *
List of crossings of the Potomac River This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the Potomac River and its North and South branches. Within each section, crossings are listed from the source moving downstream. Potomac River This list contains only crossings of the main channel. ...


References


External links


Woodrow Wilson Bridge (I-495 and I-95)
by Roads to the Future
Woodrow Wilson Bridge (I-95 and I-495)
at Steve Anderson's DCRoads.net

1916 article from ''Northwest Motorist''
Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac River
* *
WAN Awards 2009 - Urban Design (Honourable Mention)
{{Authority control Bascule bridges in the United States Bridges completed in 1961 Road bridges in Virginia Interstate 95 Movable bridges on the Interstate Highway System Bridges over the Potomac River Demolished bridges in the United States Transportation in Alexandria, Virginia Bridges completed in 2006 Bridges completed in 2008 Road bridges in Maryland Road bridges in Washington, D.C. Bridges on the Interstate Highway System 1961 establishments in Maryland 1961 establishments in Virginia 1961 establishments in Washington, D.C. Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States