Coming Soon

Route 27/244 Interchange

Washington Boulevard Bridge over Columbia Pike in Arlington

Project Photos

Project at a Glance

Begin Date
Spring 2012 - Construction

Est Completion Date
2015

Cost
$51.5 million

Locality
Arlington

District
Northern Virginia

Contact

Jeff Austin
Design-Build Project Manager
703-668-0288 ext. 25

Christiana Briganti-Dunn
703-259-2960

Project Background

The existing single-span bridge was built in the 1940s by the War Department as part of the Pentagon Roadway Network. It is a thick, solid structure that suffers from deteriorating concrete, corrosion, and heavy chloride contamination. It has also withstood many years of increasing traffic loads.

Currently, the interchange does not provide adequate traffic operations or accommodation for all users, and also prohibits the widening of Columbia Pike.

The bridge was rated as “poor” in recent structural inspections, meaning that the superficial concrete is in poor condition, but is still sufficiently capable of carrying traffic without further restriction or risk to the public. Note: Truck drivers are reminded of the bridge's posted weight restriction of 27 tons (single truck) and 40 tons (truck with trailer), which is Virginia's legal load for these types of vehicles.

Despite the bridge’s rating, with diligent inspections and maintenance, its rigid concrete frame will withstand current traffic loads for the foreseeable future, as it has for many years.

About the Project

27-244 Bridge Rendering The new Washington Boulevard bridge will be wider, longer and a great deal more attractive than today’s structure. A light well will separate westbound and eastbound lanes, and an acceleration/deceleration lane will be added westbound between ramps to assist weaving vehicles.

The new bridge will accommodate the Columbia Pike widening. Clearance under the bridge will be increased to 16'-8” to accommodate a future area streetcar. Columbia Pike will have 11-foot travel lanes (the outside lanes will be 15 feet to accommodate on-road bicyclists), a left-turn lane, and a raised median.

Several ramps will also be reconfigured to improve access and traffic flow as well as increase capacity.

The existing box culvert that conveys Long Branch through the center of the interchange will be replaced with a double cell box culvert and extended to reduce erosion at the downstream end.

A 10' shared-use path on one side and a 7' sidewalk on the other of Columbia Pike will run through the project area. The design provides enhanced safety, mobility and aesthetics for all interchange users—pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists.

Aesthetic Features

A community working group of citizens, Arlington County and VDOT staff developed concepts for the architectural and aesthetic treatments for the Washington Boulevard Bridge:

Pylons in each corner of the bridge to establish a greater presence and differentiate this signature bridge in Arlington.
Haunched Steel fascia girders with a two-tone paint scheme to mimic the arch of the existing structure.
A relief pattern incorporated into the vertical outer surfaces of the bridge parapet to create shadows and visual interest.
A concrete block pattern applied to the retaining and abutment walls similar to that of Pentagon architecture.
Recessed, arched panels on the abutment walls, larger than but similar in shape to medallions on the pylons.
Medallions will display images reflecting the historical significance of the Freedmen’s Village, for which the bridge will be named—the Freedmen’s Village Bridge—at the request of the Bridge Working Group.
Color and anti-graffiti application to concrete surfaces

Project Updates

In July 2011, VDOT awarded a lump sum design/build contract to Shirley Contracting Company, LLC to complete the project. The design/build contract encourage innovations and expedites the project schedule, as the Design/Builder (who is responsible for design, environmental permitting, administration of right-of-way acquisition, utility coordination and relocation, construction quality assurance and quality control, and public outreach) can be working on many of these activities simultaneously.

The Design/Builder will conduct a number of citizen information meetings at the start of the various stages of construction. The first such meeting will be held in early 2012, once the design is essentially complete and prior to the start of construction.

The project schedule for the various phases of the design-build project is as follows:

Design: September 2011 through Spring 2012
Environmental Permitting: September 2011 through Spring 2012
Right-of-way Acquisition: Spring 2012 through Spring 2013
Utility relocations: Spring 2012 through Spring 2015
Construction: Spring 2012 through Summer 2015
Project Completion 2015

Noise Impacts

Potential traffic noise impacts associated with the proposed Route 27/244 Interchange Modifications were assessed in accordance with the procedures and criteria approved by the Federal Highway Administration and the Virginia Department of Transportation in 2000 and again in 2007 (after significant changes to the interchange configuration). In both studies, three sound barriers were considered and found to be feasible (provided at least 5 decibels of noise reduction), but only one was found to be cost-effective in the latter study. The Noise Impact Analysis Technical Report and the Noise Abatement Committee Submittal Package details the analyses, the findings, and the general location of the proposed sound barrier based on the 2007 study. The subsequent approval for the one sound barrier was provided by the Chief Engineer (in a letter dated July 7, 2008) and Federal Highway Administration (in a letter dated July 16, 2008) . The Virginia Department of Transportation has recently updated the State Noise Abatement Policy and created a Guidance Manual. The policy and manual can be located at the following address: http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/pr-noise-walls-about.asp. Please note that the new policy was not in effect at the time of the study for the Route 27/244 Interchange Project and VDOT is not required to revisit the noise study due to the change in policy per an agreement with Federal Highway Administration.