WWB :: Project News and Your Views

The Woodrow Wilson Bridge continues to be on schedule and under budget. With the first bridge set to open in Spring 2006, allowing for transfer of two-way traffic to that bridge, demolition of the existing bridge will proceed. The second bridge will be open in 2008 with five travel lanes in each direction and a pedestrian / bikeway on the north side.

There have been 30 construction contracts awarded. Two bridge contracts have been completed and three are underway; four Maryland interchange contracts have been awarded and one is complete; Nine Virginia interchange contracts have been awarded and five have been completed; 12 environmental mitigation contracts have been awarded and 8 are completed with mitigation on-going for the balance of the five year commitment. Fourteen contracts include many contractors to work adjacent to one another and to coordinate extensively, through the Project Team. The Project remains on budget at $2.4 Billion.

Up to this time, work has primarily been off the Beltway and Wilson Bridge work has been hidden below the traveling public.While distractions to drivers have begun due to the piers on the bridge in view and additional work visible to drivers, more interruptions will begin to take place. Portions of roadways completed, will be used as “maintenance of traffic” for other travel movements. This will take place in Virginia at the US Route 1 interchange in several areas. AS the schedule is refined, additional information will be posted. Many of theses will be temporary changes, although some that begin in spring to Summer 2005 will continue through 2008.

The majority of the Over-the-Beltway work in the I-295 and MD 210 interchanges in Maryland has been completed for the time being. The Bald Eagle Road Bridge will be placed in the Spring/Summer 2005 requiring to again close the Beltway intermittently during nighttime hours.

Work on Washington Street continues in Virginia although the majority of the work will be completed in Spring 2005. The three-lane operation seems to work well. With additional work due to require a three-lane operation during construction of the north side of the deck, VDOT is considering maintaining the three-lane configuration through the construction of the deck. The relocated Mt. Vernon Trail is due to be opened in Spring 2005, eliminating the need for the temporarily relocated Mt. Vernon Trail through the Hunting Point on the Potomac property.

Environmental contract plantings have been very successful and monitoring is going well on the completed contracts.