September 2021
Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge Opens in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON D.C. – After three and a half years of construction, the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge opened to traffic. The new bridge, the largest infrastructure project in city history, spans nearly 1,500 feet with six lanes of traffic and bike lane and pedestrian access. Archer Western was one half of the South Capital Bridgebuilders team that brought the project to completion.
The first vehicles to cross the bridge using one of the southbound lanes occurred in the early morning hours Saturday, September 11. By the following day, all lanes were open to traffic. Traffic ovals being completed on either side of the new replacement bride will offer easier traffic patterns for commuters crossing the Anacostia River into and out of the city.
Connecting communities on both sides of the river was viewed as a key reason for the new bridge. The triple-arched bridge offers a visual upgrade to the area as well as a safety improvement on the road for the 70,000 daily vehicles that pass through the corridor.
Further work on the South Capital project will continue. Green spaces and connections to parks and trails tailing off the bridge and river are planned. Upgrades to the I-295/Suitland Parkway interchange will start to progress. Final landscaping and streetscape will take place once the existing bridge is demolished.
