Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – A massive rehabilitation project will have the Arlington Memorial Bridge down to three lanes and one sidewalk starting Monday, Oct. 15 and continuing through 2021.
During this time, there will be one eastbound and one westbound lane with a third reversible lane across the bridge according to National Park Service spokesperson Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles. She said Mondays through Fridays the reversible lane will run eastbound into D.C. from 4 a.m. until noon, and westbound toward Virginia from noon through 4 a.m. On Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays two lanes will always run eastbound, and one lane will always run westbound.
“We do expect to see some backups and heavier delays during the first week or two as drivers adjust to the new traffic pattern,” Anzelmo-Sarles said.
Anzelmo-Sarles advises drivers to pay attention to overhead signals, which will indicate which lanes are open in each direction.
Anzelmo-Sarles said this work is the kickoff of a $227 million rehabilitation project that will keep the bridge open to vehicles beyond 2021. In February 2016, the Federal Highway Administration told the NPS the bridge would need to close to all traffic in 2021 without a complete rehabilitation because the concrete deck is quickly deteriorating.
The construction work includes replacing the bridge’s deck and the drawbridge and rehabilitating the concrete approach spans.
For more videos and maps, go to http://go.nps.gov/memorialbridge.
Copyright 2018 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (Photo/Video: NPS)
