11th Street Bridges
Encyclopedia
The 11th Street Bridges are a pair of one-way bridge
s across the Anacostia River
in Washington, D.C.
, U.S.A. The southbound structure is officially named the Officer Kevin J. Welsh Memorial Bridge, while the northbound structure is officially named the 11th Street Bridge. The bridges convey Interstate 295
across the Anacostia to its northern terminus at the unsigned Interstate 695
. The bridges also connect the neighborhood of Anacostia with the rest of the city of Washington.
In 2004, the bridges carried 86,000 vehicles per day, the second-largest volume of the four "middle Anacostia River" bridge crossings.
and drawbridge
built between 1795 and 1800 about a quarter of a mile (0.4 kilometres) upstream from 11th Street SE (at the site of the current John Philip Sousa Bridge
). The Eastern Branch Bridge was blown up and partially burned by retreating American
soldiers in August 1814 during the War of 1812
. It was rebuilt, but burned completely in August 1846. In 1820, the privately owned "Upper Navy Yard Bridge" was built over the Anacostia River at 11th Street SE. Also a toll bridge, this second bridge became a "free" bridge in 1848 after it was purchased by the federal government. From the city's founding until 1854, the area known today as Anacostia was primarily sparsely populated farmland. But Anacostia was plat
ted in 1854, and development slowly began to turn the agricultural land into businesses and residences. The destruction of the Eastern Branch Bridge in 1846, however, significantly slowed growth in the area for five decades.
A second bridge was built in the same location in 1872-1873. This bridge was replaced in 1905-1907 by a stronger, wider span (the "Anacostia Bridge") which accommodated streetcars
. It was this span which the Bonus Army
fled across on July 28, 1932, when attacked by the United States Army
.
The 1907 span was replaced by a modern structure four-lane bridge carrying one-way northbound traffic in 1965 as part of the development of the "Inner Loop" (see below). A second four-lane bridge was added in 1970, with one-way traffic over the span of each bridge. Both are beam bridges: "[The spans] are two-girder systems with steel composite construction and a central drop-in span on pin supports. The main girders are riveted and welded, and both have reinforced wall type piers with granite facing, supported by steel H piles." Each span is about 63 feet (19.2 metres) wide. Each bridge has roughly five sections—four sections of about 170 feet (51.85 m) in length, with a center section about 234 feet (71.4 m) in length. Both spans are considered "fracture critical," which means that if one girder in the span fails the entire bridge is likely to collapse.
composed of three circumferential beltways for the District of Columbia. The innermost beltway would have formed a flattened oval about a mile in radius centered on the White House
. The middle beltway would have formed an arc along the northern portion of the city, running from the proposed Barney Circle Freeway
(whose terminus would have been near Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
) through Anacostia Park
, cut northwest through the Trinidad
neighborhood along Mt. Olivet Road NE, followed the Amtrak
rail line north to Missouri Avenue NW, along Missouri Avenue NW to Military Road NW, along Military Road NW across Rock Creek Park
to Nebraska Avenue NW, down Nebraska Avenue NW to New Mexico Avenue NW, and down New Mexico Avenue NW and across Glover-Archbold Park until it terminated near 37th Street NW at the north end of Georgetown
.
Two decades of protest led to the cancellation of all but the I-395 and I-695 portions of the plan. The unbuilt portions of the project were finally cancelled in 1977. Several ramps allowing traffic on the 11th Street Bridges to access I-295/Anacostia Freeway and I-695 eastbound remained unbuilt because of these cancellations, creating severe traffic problems on both ends of the bridges.
to use the Southeast Freeway as their primary route out of the city. The freeway would extend I-695 past its existing terminus at the Barney
traffic circle
, and travel along the western bank of the Anacostia River (through Anacostia Park
) to East Capitol Street
and Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
. A new bridge over the Anacostia River at Burnham Barrier
would provide vehicles easy access to the Anacostia Freeway. The project would also upgrade I-295 by adding bus
and carpool lanes
. The combined bridge and freeway project was ready for construction to begin in 1981, and its cost was estimated to be $93.5 million. But after protests from residents of Capitol Hill (who feared the Barney Circle Freeway would cause more traffic to flow into the area) as well as environmentalist
s, the District of Columbia agreed to reduce the number of lanes on the Barney Circle Freeway to two from four.
The protests and legal and regulatory challenges to the proposed freeway did not end, however, and by 1992 the freeway's cost had ballooned to $160 million and it remained unbuilt. By 1993, costs for the project had increased to $200 million, but D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly
gave her approval for construction to begin. But construction was delayed yet again when the Sierra Club
Legal Defense Fund, Anacostia Watershed Society, Committee of 100 on the Federal City
, Citizens Committee to Stop It Again, D.C. Federation of Civic Associations, Friends of the Earth
, Kingman Park Civic Association, the Barney Circle Neighborhood Watch, Urban Protectors, and American Rivers threatened to sue unless the city scaled back the freeway even further, agreed to add exit ramps at the junction of Pennsylvania Avenue SE and I-695, and altered traffic patterns (e.g., creating more one-way streets) on Capitol Hill. The groups could not reach an agreement with the city, and filed suit to stop construction in May 1994. The groups claimed that federal and city officials had covered up how much hazardous waste lay under the construction sites; claimed the roads and bridge would add pollution, traffic, and noise to existing neighborhoods; pollute the Anacostia River; destroy much-needed city parkland; and benefit out-of-state commuters and affluent Capitol Hill residents while harming the poor, African American
neighborhoods in Anacostia. City studies in 1991 and 1992 discovered large amounts of lead waste (from a former smelter) on the west bank of the Anacostia River, but city officials said the amount of pollution was not enough to warrant any change in plans (a conclusion the groups disagreed with). A second lawsuit was filed days later by the D.C. Federation of Civic Associations, the National Audubon Society
, and the Citizens Committee to Stop It Again alleging that planning officials did not consider all reasonable alternatives to the project. Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) officials agreed to delay the start of construction by four months to allow the suits to be heard by the courts. In August 1994, FHWA administrators agreed to conduct an additional environmental impact assessment
regarding the project. The study, released in October 1994, showed that 15,000 (25.6 percent) more tons of polluted soil would need to be disposed of, at a cost of $5 million. Nonetheless, the federal government said that the environmental assessment's findings did not alter its earlier conclusion that construction of the roadway and bridge project was economically feasible, technologically appropriate, and environmentally sound. On the basis of these findings, federal highway officials refused to seek a large-scale, more complete environmental impact assessment for the project.
The D.C. City Council
had the final say on whether to proceed with the project or not. The Council began debating the project on November 6, 1994. In December 1994, the City Council bowed to neighborhood opposition and voted overwhelmingly to reject the project.
DDOT and the FHWA issued notices to proceed with further assessments in September 2005, a draft environmental impact assessment published in July 2006, a final environmental assessment published in September 2007, and a decision to proceed promulgated in July 2008. Public hearings were held in September 2005, December 2005, and July 2006. Because of design changes, the environmental impact study was re-evaluated in July 2009 and found to still be sufficient. The goals of the project are:
The project also includes a pedestrian walkway to provide foot traffic access across the bridges as well.
The entire replacement project is expected to cost $365 million. Demolition of a portion of the bridges began in July 2009 (a portion of M Street SE and I-295 access ramp at 12th Street SE were closed for two weekends to permit demolition of bridge ramps), and construction is scheduled to end in 2013.
On-ramps from Anacostia to the northbound span of the 11th Street Bridges were closed on December 20, 2009, for five and a half hours after heavy snow blocked the approaches during the North American blizzard of 2009
, with the snow removal disrupting automobile traffic and forcing the temporary closure of several Metrobus
routes which use the bridge.
Lane closures on the bridges, as well lane closures and other traffic restrictions on nearby local roads and on- and off-ramps, began October 26, 2010, as the construction moved from the middle of the Anacostia River toward the shore. City engineers estimated that the project was 25 percent complete by late October 2010. The project was on track for completion in 2013. On November 5, 2010, construction crews began driving piles east of the bridge on its northern side to begin construction of the ramp connecting the new bridge to east-bound Southeast Freeway.
DDOT officials said in January 2011 that they expected a new connection with southbound I-295 to open during the spring, for construction on the two freeway spans to be complete by fall, and for the local span to open in 2013. Lane closures on the 11th Street Bridges, small segments of Southeast-Southwest Freeway, I-295, and local streets began on March 23, 2011, and continued through June.
The bridges' construction sparked some controversy. On March 22, a citizens group named "D.C. Jobs or Else" organized a protest of about 50 individuals on the 11th Street Bridges. Joined by D.C. Council member Marion Barry
, the protesters said too few individuals from the Anacostia area (which suffers from a 30 percent unemployment rate) had been considered for employment or hired by Skanska/Facchina, the joint-venture construction company building the bridges. Skanska/Facchina vice president Brook Brookshire. denied the accusations, noting that 51 percent of the new hires were D.C. residents, the company had engaged in extensive outreach to the unemployed, and that the company had worked with local jobs organizations, the D.C. Department of Employment Services, and the D.C. Department of Transportation to find workers for the project. Brookshire also said the company had provided training to unskilled workers to enable them to work on the project and find careers in the construction industry.
In May 2011, DDOT closed the off-ramp from the bridges to Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE. The agency said the closure would create a larger work area and speed up construction of the new bridges and approaches. Traffic was rerouted along the existing Good Hope Road on-ramp through the end of 2011, although this meant the ramp now carried two-way traffic in a single lane each way. Significant afternoon rush-hour delays occurred in the area due to the rerouting.
In August 2011, the D.C. City Council designated the 11th Street Bridges, a portion of Southeast/Southwest Freeway, Maine Avenue SW, and Independence Avenue SW "Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue" in honor of the slain civil rights leader. The dedication came in time for the planned dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. The renaming was honorary, and did not formally change the names of these bridges, highways, and streets.
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s across the Anacostia River
Anacostia River
The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel to empty into the Potomac River at Buzzard Point. It is approximately long...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, U.S.A. The southbound structure is officially named the Officer Kevin J. Welsh Memorial Bridge, while the northbound structure is officially named the 11th Street Bridge. The bridges convey Interstate 295
Interstate 295 (District of Columbia)
Interstate 295 in the U.S. state of Maryland and in Washington, D.C. is a spur route connecting I-95/I-495 and Maryland Route 210 on the Potomac River to Interstate 695 in downtown Washington.-Route description:Although I-295 technically begins at the Capital Beltway , a pair of mainline...
across the Anacostia to its northern terminus at the unsigned Interstate 695
Interstate 695 (District of Columbia)
Interstate 695 is the unsigned designation for the 1.39-mile Southeast Freeway in Washington, D.C. It runs from Interstate 395 south of the United States Capitol building east past the north end of Interstate 295 to Pennsylvania Avenue at Barney Circle, just northwest of the John Philip Sousa...
. The bridges also connect the neighborhood of Anacostia with the rest of the city of Washington.
In 2004, the bridges carried 86,000 vehicles per day, the second-largest volume of the four "middle Anacostia River" bridge crossings.
History
The first bridge across the Anacostia River in this area was the Eastern Branch Bridge, a privately owned tollToll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
and drawbridge
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
built between 1795 and 1800 about a quarter of a mile (0.4 kilometres) upstream from 11th Street SE (at the site of the current John Philip Sousa Bridge
John Philip Sousa Bridge
The John Philip Sousa Bridge is a bridge that carries Pennsylvania Avenue across the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. It has partial interchanges with unsigned Interstate 695 at its western terminus and with District of Columbia Route 295 at its eastern terminus.The first bridge at that...
). The Eastern Branch Bridge was blown up and partially burned by retreating American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soldiers in August 1814 during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. It was rebuilt, but burned completely in August 1846. In 1820, the privately owned "Upper Navy Yard Bridge" was built over the Anacostia River at 11th Street SE. Also a toll bridge, this second bridge became a "free" bridge in 1848 after it was purchased by the federal government. From the city's founding until 1854, the area known today as Anacostia was primarily sparsely populated farmland. But Anacostia was plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted in 1854, and development slowly began to turn the agricultural land into businesses and residences. The destruction of the Eastern Branch Bridge in 1846, however, significantly slowed growth in the area for five decades.
A second bridge was built in the same location in 1872-1873. This bridge was replaced in 1905-1907 by a stronger, wider span (the "Anacostia Bridge") which accommodated streetcars
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
. It was this span which the Bonus Army
Bonus Army
The Bonus Army was the popular name of an assemblage of some 43,000 marchers—17,000 World War I veterans, their families, and affiliated groups—who gathered in Washington, D.C., in the spring and summer of 1932 to demand immediate cash-payment redemption of their service certificates...
fled across on July 28, 1932, when attacked by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
The 1907 span was replaced by a modern structure four-lane bridge carrying one-way northbound traffic in 1965 as part of the development of the "Inner Loop" (see below). A second four-lane bridge was added in 1970, with one-way traffic over the span of each bridge. Both are beam bridges: "
The Inner Loop
In 1956, federal and regional transportation planners proposed an Inner Loop ExpresswayInner Loop (Washington, D.C.)
The Inner Loop was two planned freeways around downtown Washington, D.C. The innermost loop would have formed an oval centered on the White House, with a central freeway connecting the southern segment to the northern segment and then continuing on to Interstate 95. Interstate 95 would have met...
composed of three circumferential beltways for the District of Columbia. The innermost beltway would have formed a flattened oval about a mile in radius centered on the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. The middle beltway would have formed an arc along the northern portion of the city, running from the proposed Barney Circle Freeway
Interstate 695 (District of Columbia)
Interstate 695 is the unsigned designation for the 1.39-mile Southeast Freeway in Washington, D.C. It runs from Interstate 395 south of the United States Capitol building east past the north end of Interstate 295 to Pennsylvania Avenue at Barney Circle, just northwest of the John Philip Sousa...
(whose terminus would have been near Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in Washington, D.C., United States, and the current home of MLS's D.C. United....
) through Anacostia Park
Anacostia Park
Anacostia Park is operated by the United States National Park Service. It is one of Washington, D.C.'s largest and most important recreation areas, with over 1200 acres at multiple sites. Included in Anacostia Park is Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens and Kenilworth Marsh...
, cut northwest through the Trinidad
Trinidad, Washington, D.C.
Trinidad is a neighborhood located in Ward 5, in the northeast quadrant of Washington, D.C. and is a largely residential area.-Geography:Trinidad is bounded to the north by Mt. Olivet Road, to the west by West Virginia Avenue, to the south by Florida Avenue, and to the east by Bladensburg Road. To...
neighborhood along Mt. Olivet Road NE, followed the Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
rail line north to Missouri Avenue NW, along Missouri Avenue NW to Military Road NW, along Military Road NW across Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park is a large urban natural area with public park facilities that bisects Washington, D.C. The park is administered by the National Park Service.-Rock Creek Park:The main section of the park contains , or , along the Rock Creek Valley...
to Nebraska Avenue NW, down Nebraska Avenue NW to New Mexico Avenue NW, and down New Mexico Avenue NW and across Glover-Archbold Park until it terminated near 37th Street NW at the north end of Georgetown
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Georgetown is a neighborhood located in northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years...
.
Two decades of protest led to the cancellation of all but the I-395 and I-695 portions of the plan. The unbuilt portions of the project were finally cancelled in 1977. Several ramps allowing traffic on the 11th Street Bridges to access I-295/Anacostia Freeway and I-695 eastbound remained unbuilt because of these cancellations, creating severe traffic problems on both ends of the bridges.
Barney Circle Freeway
In 1975, federal, regional, and city transportation planners proposed an extension to I-695/Southeast Freeway to be called the "Barney Circle Freeway" to help alleviate the problems created by the failure to complete the Inner Loop. In part, the project was also designed to encourage commuters currently traversing Capitol HillCapitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
Capitol Hill, aside from being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues...
to use the Southeast Freeway as their primary route out of the city. The freeway would extend I-695 past its existing terminus at the Barney
Barney Circle, Washington, D.C.
Barney Circle is a small neighborhood located on the western bank of the Anacostia River in southeast Washington, D.C. The "circle" refers to the traffic circle that intersects Pennsylvania Avenue SE as it crosses the Anacostia...
traffic circle
Traffic circle
A traffic circle or rotary is a type of circular intersection in which traffic must travel in one direction around a central island. In some countries, traffic entering the circle has the right-of-way and drivers in the circle must yield. In many other countries, traffic entering the circle must...
, and travel along the western bank of the Anacostia River (through Anacostia Park
Anacostia Park
Anacostia Park is operated by the United States National Park Service. It is one of Washington, D.C.'s largest and most important recreation areas, with over 1200 acres at multiple sites. Included in Anacostia Park is Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens and Kenilworth Marsh...
) to East Capitol Street
East Capitol Street
East Capitol Street is a major street that divides the northeast and southeast quadrants of Washington, D.C. It runs due east from the United States Capitol to the DC-Maryland border. The street is uninterrupted until Lincoln Park then continues eastward to Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium...
and Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in Washington, D.C., United States, and the current home of MLS's D.C. United....
. A new bridge over the Anacostia River at Burnham Barrier
Burnham Barrier
Kingman Island and Heritage Island are islands in Northeast and Southeast Washington, D.C., in the Anacostia River. Both islands are man-made, built from material dredged from the Anacostia River and completed in 1916. Kingman Island is bordered on the east by the Anacostia River, and on the west...
would provide vehicles easy access to the Anacostia Freeway. The project would also upgrade I-295 by adding bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
and carpool lanes
High-occupancy vehicle lane
In transportation engineering and transportation planning, a high-occupancy vehicle lane is a lane reserved for vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers...
. The combined bridge and freeway project was ready for construction to begin in 1981, and its cost was estimated to be $93.5 million. But after protests from residents of Capitol Hill (who feared the Barney Circle Freeway would cause more traffic to flow into the area) as well as environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
s, the District of Columbia agreed to reduce the number of lanes on the Barney Circle Freeway to two from four.
The protests and legal and regulatory challenges to the proposed freeway did not end, however, and by 1992 the freeway's cost had ballooned to $160 million and it remained unbuilt. By 1993, costs for the project had increased to $200 million, but D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly
Sharon Pratt Kelly
Sharon Pratt Kelly , formerly Sharon Pratt Dixon and now known as Sharon Pratt, was the third mayor of the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1995. Pratt was the first African-American woman to serve as mayor of a major American city...
gave her approval for construction to begin. But construction was delayed yet again when the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
Legal Defense Fund, Anacostia Watershed Society, Committee of 100 on the Federal City
Committee of 100 on the Federal City
The Committee of 100 on the Federal City, locally referred to as the Committee of 100, is a private, nonprofit membership organization which promotes "responsible" land use and planning in Washington, D.C. It is one of the oldest citizen-based urban planning groups in the United States, and a...
, Citizens Committee to Stop It Again, D.C. Federation of Civic Associations, Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...
, Kingman Park Civic Association, the Barney Circle Neighborhood Watch, Urban Protectors, and American Rivers threatened to sue unless the city scaled back the freeway even further, agreed to add exit ramps at the junction of Pennsylvania Avenue SE and I-695, and altered traffic patterns (e.g., creating more one-way streets) on Capitol Hill. The groups could not reach an agreement with the city, and filed suit to stop construction in May 1994. The groups claimed that federal and city officials had covered up how much hazardous waste lay under the construction sites; claimed the roads and bridge would add pollution, traffic, and noise to existing neighborhoods; pollute the Anacostia River; destroy much-needed city parkland; and benefit out-of-state commuters and affluent Capitol Hill residents while harming the poor, African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
neighborhoods in Anacostia. City studies in 1991 and 1992 discovered large amounts of lead waste (from a former smelter) on the west bank of the Anacostia River, but city officials said the amount of pollution was not enough to warrant any change in plans (a conclusion the groups disagreed with). A second lawsuit was filed days later by the D.C. Federation of Civic Associations, the National Audubon Society
National Audubon Society
The National Audubon Society is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation. Incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and uses science, education and grassroots advocacy to advance its conservation mission...
, and the Citizens Committee to Stop It Again alleging that planning officials did not consider all reasonable alternatives to the project. Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
(FHWA) officials agreed to delay the start of construction by four months to allow the suits to be heard by the courts. In August 1994, FHWA administrators agreed to conduct an additional environmental impact assessment
Environmental impact assessment
An environmental impact assessment is an assessment of the possible positive or negative impact that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects....
regarding the project. The study, released in October 1994, showed that 15,000 (25.6 percent) more tons of polluted soil would need to be disposed of, at a cost of $5 million. Nonetheless, the federal government said that the environmental assessment's findings did not alter its earlier conclusion that construction of the roadway and bridge project was economically feasible, technologically appropriate, and environmentally sound. On the basis of these findings, federal highway officials refused to seek a large-scale, more complete environmental impact assessment for the project.
The D.C. City Council
Council of the District of Columbia
The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of the District of Columbia. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the District is not part of any U.S. state and is instead overseen directly by the federal government...
had the final say on whether to proceed with the project or not. The Council began debating the project on November 6, 1994. In December 1994, the City Council bowed to neighborhood opposition and voted overwhelmingly to reject the project.
2009 rebuilding
The District of Columbia assessed the bridges in 2002. The Welsh Memorial Bridge was rated "satisfactory" (superstructure rating of 6; substructure rating of 6) while the 11th Street Bridge was rated "fair to poor" (superstructure rating of 5; substructure rating of 4). Both superstructures are near maximum life expectancy. Without improvements to traffic patterns across the Anacostia River, the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) estimated in 2005 that traffic over the 11th Street Bridges would significantly expand to 105,100 vehicles per day by 2030, an increase of 22.2 percent over 2004 and more than 40.3 percent higher than the next-busiest bridge (Sousa Bridge). DDOT undertook a major study of the bridges in 2004 which concluded that both bridges should be replaced.DDOT and the FHWA issued notices to proceed with further assessments in September 2005, a draft environmental impact assessment published in July 2006, a final environmental assessment published in September 2007, and a decision to proceed promulgated in July 2008. Public hearings were held in September 2005, December 2005, and July 2006. Because of design changes, the environmental impact study was re-evaluated in July 2009 and found to still be sufficient. The goals of the project are:
- to reduce traffic congestion on the both the 11th Street Bridges and on local streets;
- to increase the safety of all types of traffic on local streets;
- to replace the current bridges;
- to provide an improved emergency evacuation route for the nation's capital; and
- to provide routes for security personnel in and out of the nation's capital.
The project also includes a pedestrian walkway to provide foot traffic access across the bridges as well.
The entire replacement project is expected to cost $365 million. Demolition of a portion of the bridges began in July 2009 (a portion of M Street SE and I-295 access ramp at 12th Street SE were closed for two weekends to permit demolition of bridge ramps), and construction is scheduled to end in 2013.
On-ramps from Anacostia to the northbound span of the 11th Street Bridges were closed on December 20, 2009, for five and a half hours after heavy snow blocked the approaches during the North American blizzard of 2009
North American blizzard of 2009
The North American blizzard of 2009 was a Category 2 nor'easter that formed over the Gulf of Mexico in December 2009 and became a major snowstorm for the East Coast of the United States and Canadian Atlantic provinces...
, with the snow removal disrupting automobile traffic and forcing the temporary closure of several Metrobus
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro, commonly called Metro, and unofficially Metrorail, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...
routes which use the bridge.
Lane closures on the bridges, as well lane closures and other traffic restrictions on nearby local roads and on- and off-ramps, began October 26, 2010, as the construction moved from the middle of the Anacostia River toward the shore. City engineers estimated that the project was 25 percent complete by late October 2010. The project was on track for completion in 2013. On November 5, 2010, construction crews began driving piles east of the bridge on its northern side to begin construction of the ramp connecting the new bridge to east-bound Southeast Freeway.
DDOT officials said in January 2011 that they expected a new connection with southbound I-295 to open during the spring, for construction on the two freeway spans to be complete by fall, and for the local span to open in 2013. Lane closures on the 11th Street Bridges, small segments of Southeast-Southwest Freeway, I-295, and local streets began on March 23, 2011, and continued through June.
The bridges' construction sparked some controversy. On March 22, a citizens group named "D.C. Jobs or Else" organized a protest of about 50 individuals on the 11th Street Bridges. Joined by D.C. Council member Marion Barry
Marion Barry
Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia, representing DC's Ward 8. Barry served as the second elected mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995...
, the protesters said too few individuals from the Anacostia area (which suffers from a 30 percent unemployment rate) had been considered for employment or hired by Skanska/Facchina, the joint-venture construction company building the bridges. Skanska/Facchina vice president Brook Brookshire. denied the accusations, noting that 51 percent of the new hires were D.C. residents, the company had engaged in extensive outreach to the unemployed, and that the company had worked with local jobs organizations, the D.C. Department of Employment Services, and the D.C. Department of Transportation to find workers for the project. Brookshire also said the company had provided training to unskilled workers to enable them to work on the project and find careers in the construction industry.
In May 2011, DDOT closed the off-ramp from the bridges to Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE. The agency said the closure would create a larger work area and speed up construction of the new bridges and approaches. Traffic was rerouted along the existing Good Hope Road on-ramp through the end of 2011, although this meant the ramp now carried two-way traffic in a single lane each way. Significant afternoon rush-hour delays occurred in the area due to the rerouting.
In August 2011, the D.C. City Council designated the 11th Street Bridges, a portion of Southeast/Southwest Freeway, Maine Avenue SW, and Independence Avenue SW "Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue" in honor of the slain civil rights leader. The dedication came in time for the planned dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. The renaming was honorary, and did not formally change the names of these bridges, highways, and streets.