Arlington Memorial Bridge

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Arlington Memorial Bridge
National Register of Historic Places
Memorial Bridge with Arlington National Cemetery and Arlington House in the background

Memorial Bridge with Arlington National Cemetery and Arlington House in the background

Arlington Memorial Bridge (District of Columbia)
Paris plan pointer b jms.svg
location Washington, DC
Coordinates 38 ° 53 '14 "  N , 77 ° 3' 20.7"  W Coordinates: 38 ° 53 '14 "  N , 77 ° 3' 20.7"  W.
Built 1929-32
architect McKim, Mead, and White architects
Architectural style Neoclassicism
NRHP number 80000346
The NRHP added April 4, 1980

The Arlington Memorial Bridge is a bridge in Washington, DC.It crosses the Potomac River and connects the Lincoln Memorial with Columbia Island . The northeast end of the bridge marks the western edge of the National Mall . Memorial Avenue begins at the southwest end and leads over the Boundary Channel Bridge to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County .

On April 4, 1980, the Arlington Memorial Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places and is administered by the National Park Service as part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway .

history

The construction of the Arlington Memorial Bridge was approved by the United States Congress on February 24, 1925 , and was formally opened on January 16, 1932. The dedication ceremony was presided over by President Herbert Hoover . The neoclassical bridge, designed by the architects McKim, Mead, and White , is 659 meters long.

Although the Arlington Memorial Bridge was part of the McMillan Commission's plan to restore the original plan for the capital by Pierre L'Enfant , it took 20 years to begin construction. On the way to dedicating the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Bridge National Cemetery, President Warren G. Harding was stuck in a traffic jam for three hours because the old wooden bridge couldn't handle the traffic. This incident resulted in the funds for the construction of the bridge being approved.

The bridge was built from 1929 to 1932. Upon completion, the Mount Vernon tram to downtown Washington was discontinued.

On April 4, 1980, the Arlington Memorial Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places .

In May 2015 the bridge was closed to vehicles over 10 tons due to structural defects, and parts of the bascule bridge section are no longer allowed to be driven on. This stops the bus traffic over the bridge. Routine examinations had shown damage to the cross members, whereupon a special examination of the load-bearing parts was carried out. The National Park Service, together with the Federal Highway Administration , will bring forward maintenance measures to secure the affected parts for the time being. Plans have been underway since 2012 to fundamentally renovate the bridge, for which costs of around 250 million dollars are budgeted. The restoration of the bridge is also on the list of 50 most important projects for President Trump

architecture

Statues at the east end of the Arlington Memorial Bridge

At the northeast end of the bridge are the sculptures Sacrifice and Valor , which were completed in 1951 by Leo Friedlander . On the bridge piers there are round discs with eagles and fasces by the sculptor Carl Paul Jennewein .

The closest metro station is Arlington Cemetery. The bridge literally and symbolically connects the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House , the former home of General Robert E. Lee . This is supposed to represent the reconstruction of the northern and southern states.

At the northwest end on the Arlington Memorial Bridge and its access roads form the connection to the George Washington Memorial Parkway , State Route 27 and State Route 110. At the northeast end they form the connection to Constitution Avenue, Independence Avenue, Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway and the portion of Interstate 66 in the District of Columbia .

A special feature of the roundabout at the south-western end of the bridge is that traffic in the roundabout has to give way to incoming traffic, contrary to the normal rule. During rush hour traffic in the morning, exits are blocked to avoid backlogs.

In the middle of the bridge is a steel bascule bridge that allows larger ships to go upstream to Georgetown . After the construction of the upstream Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, which has no folding mechanism, the folding mechanism of the Arlington Memorial Bridge was no longer used.

and display information about the image
Panorama of the Arlington Memorial Bridge

Web links

Commons : Arlington Memorial Bridge  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Memorial Bridge . National Park Service. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
  2. ↑ a b c Pamela Scott, Lee, Antoinette J .: The Mall . In: Buildings of the District of Columbia . Oxford University Press , New York City 1993, ISBN 0-19-509389-5 , pp. 104-105.
  3. ^ Arlington Memorial Bridge . National Park Service. July 7, 1998. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
  4. ↑ James M. Goode: The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, DC: A Comprehensive Historical Guide . Smithsonian Institution Press , Washington, DC 1974, ISBN 0874741491 , p. 193.
  5. ↑ Entry in the National Register Information System . National Park Service , accessed April 22, 2016
  6. ^ National Park Service: Arlington Memorial Bridge Emergency Closures and Load Limits , May 28, 2015
  7. ^ National Park Service: Arlington Memorial Bridge Rehabilitation Environmental Assessment
  8. ↑ https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3409546/Emergency-NatSec50Projects-121416-1-Reduced.pdf Priority List Emergency & National Security Projects President-elect Trump