The keystone was placed in the sixth and final white arch on the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge Thursday, August 13. The white structure appears to hopscotch across the Anacostia River, connecting the communities of Anacostia and Navy Yard.
The keystone was placed around mid-day Thursday and bolted into the previous segments before it was released from the crane, a process that took under a half hour. Originally scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., the installation was delayed by heavy rains.
The $480 million big is set to open in 2021, DC officials said. The new bridge will replace the 71-year-old bridge currently in use and reconstruct the Suitland Parkway/I-295 interchange.
6 arches down.
0 to go.1 DC flag waving high on this historic day at the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge. https://t.co/EtU6GLlY3L pic.twitter.com/5G866Yc6r6
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) August 13, 2020
The work calls for replacing the 70-year-old bridge and reconstruction of the Suitland Parkway/I-295 interchange. Due to its age, condition, and functional limitations, the span has been classified functionally obsolete. Improvements are intended to make the structure safer for cars and pedestrians, enhance options for multimodal transportation, increase access for the community and support economic development on both sides of the river.
This new bridge construction project is one in a series of projects under the umbrella of the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative (AWI) Program. The program is transforming the shores of the Anacostia River from the Tidal Basin to the city’s northeast border with Maryland into a world-class waterfront. For more information, visit the website: anacostiawaterfront.org.
Visit newfrederickdouglassbridge.com to learn more about the project
