Skip to main content

New bridge for US capital

A new road bridge is now open in US capital Washington DC, improving capacity and safety in the city.
February 15, 2012 Read time: 1 min

A new road bridge is now open in US capital Washington DC, improving capacity and safety in the city.

The new structure spans New York Avenue and provides the busy Ninth Street link into the city. Carrying up to 25,000 vehicles/day, including some 2,000 trucks/day, the bridge is a major transport connection into the Northeastern side of the city. The roadway for the new bridge is 15.8m wide, boosting capacity over the 34.4m wide structure it replaces. The pedestrian walkways are also wider than on the old bridge. The new bridge also features a centreline barrier that meets safety requirements and prevents the risk of cross-over collisions. This structure is made from high performance concrete and corrosion resistant steel has a design life of 75 years and replaces an aging bridge that was first opened to traffic in 1941 and which had proven unable to meet the traffic demands imposed upon it.

Related Content

  • Innovations are pushing boundaries in the concrete road paving sector
    February 18, 2013
    The concrete road paving market continues to develop - Mike Woof reports Concrete road paving technology continues to evolve, with new equipment and techniques coming to market. Although concrete road construction has been used for many years, problems with early generation technologies affected this market segment. The first concrete roads were constructed in sections, which led to problems at joints but these were addressed many years ago with the advent of slipform paving. Concrete roads constructed in t
  • China looks to the future with major highway plans
    February 15, 2012
    China is still moving ahead with plans that will give it the world's biggest highway system. Patrick Smith reports. As China's economy grows even more, keeping the country on the move has become a priority for the government. While the country has made great strides over the past decade in improving its infrastructure, the number of vehicles has also increased rapidly, and in some instances restrictions have been placed on them.
  • UK Roads Crash Demo Day is a Big Hit
    July 19, 2012
    Representatives from local authorities, the police, and the highway safety-related business world attended last month’s UK Roads Crash Demonstration Day at MIRA near Nuneaton, in central England. Guy Woodford reports It was never meant to be an occasion for crash test dummies. And each of the latest road safety solutions from leading highway technology companies tested at the UK Roads Crash Demonstration Day passed with top marks. A crowd of over 100 enjoyed the high impact, minimum damage action.
  • Bridge collapse on key I-5 route in Washington State
    June 24, 2013
    The news that a key highway bridge has collapsed in the US comes as gloomy reading for all in the highway sector. When a section of the Interstate 5 Bridge over the Skagit River in Washington failed in May 2013, a number of vehicles were plunged into the river. Luckily no-one was killed in the incident on the route, which is one of the main links between the US and Canada, and the parallel bridge was able to carry traffic, albeit with delays for users.