DEC 4, 11:10 AM UPDATED 3:38 PM

Arlington Memorial Bridge Reopens All Six Lanes To Traffic, After Two Years Of Construction

Margaret Barthel https://twitter.com/margaretbarthel



The Arlington Memorial Bridge connects the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington Cemetery across the Potomac River.

Terry Adams / National Park Service

It’s official: After two years of construction, all six lanes of traffic reopened Friday on Arlington Memorial Bridge. Half of them were closed for construction starting in October 2018.

U.S. Interior Secretary David L. Bernhardt hosted a ceremony to mark the completion of the work on Friday. The project was a $227 million collaboration between the National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration to rehabilitate the bridge and replace its drawbridge portion with fixed steel girders, which NPS says will cut down on maintenance and extend the longevity of the repairs.

Workers shored up the bridge’s concrete approach spans and replaced the concrete deck. They also took steps to preserve the bridge’s historic character, removing, restoring and re-installing the stone curbs and street lights along the bridge, according to the Park Service.

The bridge is reopening slightly ahead of schedule. It was originally expected to resume normal operations in early 2021. Some minor construction and landscaping work will continue in the future, per The Washington Post.

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