Long Bridge (Potomac River)

There have been three bridges named the Long Bridge connecting Washington, D.C., to Arlington, Virginia, over the Potomac River.

The first bridge at the site opened in 1809 for foot, horse, and stagecoach traffic. It was briefly converted for railroad traffic in 1862 due to the Civil War, but the tracks were moved to a new companion bridge in 1865. Both bridges were damaged in an 1870 flood and demolished in 1872.

The replacement was a single new bridge with both a roadway and a railway that opened in 1872. Despite its design, it had problems with river ice and was itself demolished in 1907.

The current bridge was built in 1904. It was substantially modified in 1942 by completely replacing the bridge deck except for the moveable span, and adding new piers among the old ones. It currently carries CSX Transportation's RF&P Subdivision, which is used by Amtrak intercity trains and Virginia Railway Express commuter trains as well as freight trains. Norfolk Southern Railway also has trackage rights on the bridge but as of 2016 does not currently exercise those rights.

In 2019, Virginia announced that it would help fund and build a new rail bridge parallel to the existing one to double its capacity. Construction of the companion bridge began in October 2024.