Archive: Wilson Bridge
Wilson Bridge Open
The second span of the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge has opened. The project's managers, hedging against weather delays, had said the weekend work to open the span could take until early Monday morning, but the first cars started across the new span Saturday night. Following completion of this weekend's work, the Capital Beltway's inner loop moves across the new span along three lanes. The span just to the south of it, which opened in 2006, now carries the outer loop only. You can see the results by going to our traffic page and clicking on the camera image on the east side of the bridge. What drivers see when they look left on the bridge are the now-closed lanes in the middle that by the end of the year will become the bridge's express lanes. Commuters on Monday should find they have a better ride, because some of the old...
By | June 1, 2008; 06:47 PM ET | Comments (5)
Ceremony Ends at Wilson Bridge
The ceremony dedicating the second new span of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge has ended, after engaging more of the region's attention than planners intended. The traffic jams on the bridge's Beltway approaches, which stretched for miles this morning, have eased. (Get updates and camera views on our traffic page.) During the ceremony, Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.) had the honor of turning the final bolt into place. Other federal and local officials who helped get us this far look on. Some of the construction workers who built the two new spans also attended the ceremony marking this landmark in the region's history. Looking at some of our current problems -- the Dulles rail financing, or Virginia's struggle to finance road and transit programs -- with the perspective of the bridge project's history gives some reasons for hope about the future. Here's a chronology of the bridge's difficult birth, as it...
By | May 15, 2008; 01:22 PM ET | Comments (2)
Weekend Work Near Wilson Bridge
Watch for a construction project that will close part of the outer loop tonight through Sunday evening. Starting at 9 p.m., two of the outer loop's four lanes between the Eisenhower Connector and Telegraph Road are scheduled to close, with all the lanes reopening by Sunday evening in a new three-lane configuration. This work may sound familiar because it was postponed from last weekend. If the forecast for tonight through Sunday looks bad for the work, project managers could still postpone it. If I hear that, I'll post it right away. But if the project comes off this weekend, the result will be an earlier merge from four to three lanes on the outer loop approaching the Wilson Bridge. You regulars know that traffic backs up in this area. Stay alert this coming week, because the backup will likely start sooner as a result of the shift in the merge...
By | April 11, 2008; 06:12 AM ET | Comments (3)
Alert: Lane Shift near Wilson Bridge
Motorists on the Beltway's inner loop will see a new traffic pattern this morning as they approach the Wilson Bridge from the Maryland side. As part of the reconstruction of the interchanges and bridge approaches, the lanes have been shifted about 60 feet to the right for a stretch of about three-quarters of a mile from just past Exit 4 (Route 414/St. Barnabas Road) to Exit 3 (Route 210). Then they shift back to the left into their old alignment. Crews were scheduled to work overnight until about 5 o'clock this morning to finish the pavement markings and move barriers. By the time the Wilson Bridge project is completed, the Beltway lanes will have been reconfigured to separate local and long-distance travelers. Those of you who drive along those new lanes today will be driving on what ultimately will become the new inner loop local lanes. While you're there, workers...
By | July 11, 2007; 04:43 AM ET | Comments (9)
Watch For Wilson Bridge Work
The new span on the Wilson Bridge is going through final testing and commissioning, which will require a few brief shutdowns in coming weeks. Project managers promise to give plenty of notice. Some of the shutdowns will occur at off-peak times during the week, but most of the work is likely to occur on weekend days. The testing must be done with the benefit of daylight. Even with a closing of no more than 20 minutes, the backups are likely to extend for about three miles. The closures will occur in only one direction each day and electronic signs will provide warning, project officials say. This wrapup work on the first of the new Wilson spans is coming as the District prepares for a big new reconstruction project at the Frederick Douglass Bridge, which takes South Capitol Street over the Anacostia River. You can read about that in a story...
By | January 25, 2007; 08:21 AM ET | Comments (3)
Wilson Bridge Construction Plan
After my Live Online session Monday, John Undeland of the Wilson Bridge Project sent me a note to correct statement about when all the work will be completed. Here's what he said: "The project is on schedule to finish in 2011, not 2012. Completion dates are as follows: -- 2008: 2nd new bridge, I-295 Interchange, MD 210 Interchange -- 2009: US Route 1 Interchange -- 2011: Telegraph Road Interchange "These are the finish dates, and parts of these large interchange projects will come on line before the end. For example, the Route 1 ramps to the bridge have been opened for some time now. " John also noted my gaffe in refering to them as "intersections," rather than interchanges. That made them sound smaller than the mammoth works they are. But he also was thinking of the technical points: "Interchange" connotes grade-separated confluence of roads as opposed to "intersections," which...
By | September 13, 2006; 01:35 PM ET | Email a Comment
Wilson Bridge Demolition Postponed
The plan to blow up a portion of the old Wilson Bridge in order to make way for construction of the second new span has been pushed back a few days, project officials announced today. Detonation of the nearly half-mile stretch of steel girders that supported the old bridge over Jones Point Park in Alexandria is now scheduled for 11:59 p.m., Aug. 29. The take-down had been scheduled for midnight Thursday, but the contractor needed a little more time to prepare the steel girders on the old span. The winner of the 'Toughest Bridge Commute' contest, which began last week and has generated hundreds of applications, according to project officials, still will get to push the plunger that detonates the old section. Traffic on the Capital Beltway will be halted for about half an hour at that time for safety reasons....
By | August 18, 2006; 01:32 PM ET | Comments (8)
Reminder on "Toughest Commute" Contest
Just thought I'd remind everybody that the deadline is fast approaching for entering the "Toughest Bridge Commute." The winner gets to detonate the charges that will bring down a portion of the old Wilson Bridge so that construction of the second new span can proceed. You've got until 7 a.m. on Friday, and you can enter online. Here are some details from the bridge project officials: Toughest Bridge Commute entries are being received at www.wilsonbridge.com/toughestcommute. Contestants are asked to provide objective evidence of their commuting challenges (i.e. miles per commute, time spent per day, how many years, etc.) as well as to write a few sentences explaining why their commute is particularly arduous. An independent panel of veteran traffic reporters will name the winner. Bridge project staff will contact the winner immediately after the decision and will let him or her know when the detonation date is confirmed. Contestants must...
By | August 17, 2006; 12:19 PM ET | Comments (3)
You Could Be the End of Old Wilson Bridge
Sometime late this month, on a night when the moon won't shine, someone is going to blow the old bridge on the River Potomac. It could be you. But there's a catch: You've got to win a contest. You must prove to a panel of veteran traffic reporters that somehow, during the old Wilson Bridge's 45 years of much-maligned existence, it managed to become a personal afront, a daily insult, to you and the things you value. You must show that you, among the billions who paled as they passed over this span, have earned the right to blow it to smithereens. The people who are building the replacement bridge sense that the spirit of revenge is widespread -- so much so that they've created an entry form for detonator applicants. You must enter the Toughest Bridge Commute contest by 7 a.m., Aug. 18. The rest of us just get...
By | August 10, 2006; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (6)
Goodbye to the Wilson Bridge
You guys would be so jealous of me. While you're doing whatever it is y'all do on your summer Saturdays, I'll be standing on top of a half-built highway overpass tomorrow in the oppressive heat and humidity watching a road crew pour hot asphalt on the ground so traffic can be switched from the old Wilson Bridge to the new one. Some guys have all the luck, I know. Put aside your envy if you can and follow the advice of the bridge officials, who don't want you anywhere near the bridge tonight, tomorrow or for the rest of the weekend. Traffic on the inner loop is likely to be fairly severe and backups could stretch for miles and last for hours. The outer loop may not be so bad, but there could be some rubbernecking and other delays there. Listen to project spokesman John Undeland talk about it here....
By Steven Ginsberg | July 14, 2006; 11:38 AM ET | Comments (8)
Walking the Wilson Bridge
I just did the coolest thing. Okay, the coolest thing if you're a total transportation dork like me. (I swear I wasn't always like this.) Anyway, I was out this morning walking on the Wilson Bridges. First we took a little stroll on the new bridge -- the part where there's no traffic just yet, of course. I had three main impressions of the bridge: 1) It's very commanding. It feels and looks like something that will be around for a long, long time; 2) It's much taller than the old bridge. You almost have to lean over the side of it to look down on the tops of trucks going along the old bridge; and 3) It's really bright. Weird, I know. But the surface is white concrete instead of black asphalt and the barriers along the middle and edges are also white. It's all new and relatively clean...
By Steven Ginsberg | July 13, 2006; 02:11 PM ET | Comments (8)
Wilson Bridge Changes
By the end of this weekend, the old Wilson Bridge will no longer carry drivers. They'll all switch over to the new span (half of the Beltway is already there) and the old one will come down. In its place will be a second new span and by the time that's completed in two years the bridge will have doubled in size. The promise of all this is that those nasty bridge delays should be a thing of the past, at least for about 30 seconds before a bunch more development adds a bunch more drivers. In any case, it got me to thinking about what traffic improvements have actually made my commute better. It's a radical thought, I know. When I used to do the drive from D.C. to Manassas, the commute was made easier by a new interchange where Route 29 hits Route 28. That elminated one particularly...
By Steven Ginsberg | July 11, 2006; 12:25 PM ET | Comments (17)
Wilson Bridge Delays (Shocker)
You're going to be incredibly amazed to learn that there will be delays around the Wilson Bridge this weekend. Tonight and tomorrow night the Capital Beltway will be closed on the Maryland side of the bridge from 11.p.m. to 8.a.m. so that workers can lift steel beams over the highway. Drivers will be detoured around the highway and can expect delays of as much as half an hour, if all goes as it has in the past. The beams are part of a new interchange at Route 210 that is part of the overall bridge project. Additionally, the ramp from the southbound lanes of Interstate 295 to the outer loop of the Beltway will be closed from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. both days because of the construction. This all comes a week before another traffic meltdown in the area. Next weekend is when the inner loop of the Beltway...
By Steven Ginsberg | July 7, 2006; 11:30 AM ET | Comments (8)
Stay Away from the Wilson Bridge -- Again
Today is the beginning of another weekend to stay away from the Wilson Bridge. The workers over there are closing both sides of the Beltway on the Maryland shore so they can lift giant, steel beams over the highway. The beams will form the supports of a new interchange for Maryland Route 210. The work begins at 9 tonight and runs until 8 Saturday morning and again Saturday night until 8 Sunday morning, so if you're off to the beach make sure to get through the area before 9. Be careful, though. The first time they did this, they ran long, so I'd give them a little extra time on either end. If you do have to go through the area, you'll be taken on a detour that could delay you as much as a half hour. You can check camera views of the area on our traffic page. Speaking...
By Steven Ginsberg | June 16, 2006; 10:54 AM ET | Comments (6)
Woodrow Wilson Bridge: Three New Lanes Open
Here's an announcement from the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project: At 7:45 a.m. Sunday, all three lanes of northbound I-95/Capital Beltway Outer Loop were restored across the first new Woodrow Wilson Bridge, replacing the one-lane situation that was implemented at 9:30 p.m., Friday. The lane re-opening occurred ahead of the project's schedule, which had a worst-case scenario of reopening at 5 a.m., Monday. At 9:41 p.m. Saturday, project officials said, the first public vehicles rolled across the new Wilson Bridge in the single lane. A Toyota Corolla carrying Ted Shin of Elkridge, Md., was the first to cross the bridge. During the brief total closure to implement the switchover, the project presented the first six crossers with coins specially minted commemorate the opening of the bridge. Construction of the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge began in October 2000. Separately, to the east of the new bridge, an overnight closure of the entire...
By | June 11, 2006; 11:54 AM ET | Comments (1)
New Wilson Bridge Opens
Post staff writer Sandhya Somashekhar reports that the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge opened to traffic at 9:45 tonight. It's one lane of one span, but it's open. She said the people waiting in the line of traffic knew what was happening and were very excited, realizing they were about to make local history....
By | June 10, 2006; 10:14 PM ET | Email a Comment
Wilson Bridge Traffic: Field Report
Post staff writer Sandhya Somashekhar, who is part of our team covering the Wilson Bridge work today, just reported in. She said she drove on I- 95 from Lorton and got off onto Franconia Road. She said traffic was moving 55-60 mph. It was getting congested approaching the Springfield Interchange, but that was about normal for the area. She urges drivers to be cautious, though. The cars are going pretty fast considering how close together they are and how many decisions they have to make in that area. Then she got onto the Capital Beltway from Van Dorn Street and got off at Telegraph Road. At the Amoco station on Telegraph, near the Beltway, she talked to Steve Sprague, 55, of the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. She asked him if he had any intention of crossing the Wilson Bridge today. "Not on your life," he said. Mike Gordon, 27,...
By | June 10, 2006; 12:13 PM ET | Email a Comment
Bridge Weekend: Mid-Morning Report
A survey of the traffic cameras from the Wilson Bridge back down the Capital Beltway's outer loop and onto I-95 Northbound shows that traffic still is flowing well, despite the squeeze down to one lane at the bridge as crews do the paving required to open the new span. Looks like a combination of sophisticated travelers who knew what to expect and motorists just following the posted detours that are taking them to alternate routes across the Potomac this morning. You can see for yourself by going to our Web site's traffic page. We'll have some eyewitness reporters later on from our staff writers Karin Brulliard and Sandhya Somashekar....
By | June 10, 2006; 10:48 AM ET | Email a Comment
So Far, So Good at Wilson Bridge
As Washington wakes up, the traffic along the Capital Beltway and on I-95 in Virginia looks pretty good, under the circumstances. Those being that a massive amount of work is going on at the Woodrow WIlson Bridge this weekend. There's a steady stream of single-lane traffic heading across the bridge from Virginia to Maryland. Farther back on the outer loop, it looks like the warnings and detours are having the desired effect of keeping traffic away. At the Potomac crossing, the main event involves preparations for the opening of the first of the two new spans. That's supposed to happen today. But to make that happen, crews had to narrow down the traffic on the outer loop to one lane, so there are severe restrictions on northbound travel. If drivers in the Washington area and long-range travelers do not heed the warnings that project managers have been issuing, that would...
By | June 10, 2006; 08:26 AM ET | Email a Comment
Stay Away From the Wilson Bridge!!!!
Whatever you do tonight and for the rest of the weekend, stay away from the Wilson Bridge. Starting tonight at 8 o'clock, the outer loop of the Beltway is going to be narrowed to one lane so workers can get busy redirecting the highway toward a new bridge. The backups will extend at least four miles and could go much further if people don't steer clear of the area. Additionally, drivers on northbound I-95 will not be allowed to cross the bridge. They will be diverted at Springfield, either to the western half of the Beltway or up I-395 through the District. At some point Saturday afternoon the outer loop will be redirected to the new bridge, the first of two six-lane spans that will replace the existing bridge, but traffic will still be limited to a single lane so workers can finish realigning the Beltway. Project managers promise that...
By Steven Ginsberg | June 9, 2006; 10:14 AM ET | Email a Comment
