Planning for the future: Washington’s new Woodrow Wilson Bridge
June 17, 2009By Stephen Lee Davis
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| A New Trail Originally uploaded by M.V. Jantzen. A bicyclist cruises along I-495/95 on the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge “active transportation lane,” leading to the rare sight of someone not in a car using the Capital Beltway. View more photos of the opening on Flickr from Eric Gilliland, director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (a T4 partner.) |
Two weekends ago, the 12-foot-wide bicycle and pedestrian lane of the Woodrow Wilson interstate bridge over the Potomac River held its grand opening in Washington DC, filling with bikers and walkers who can now join the thousands of cars that cross the bridge each day.
The bridge, which connects Virginia and Maryland on the southern part of the Capital Beltway, is a vital transportation link in the region, where Interstate 95 (and the large majority of truck traffic) bypasses Washington, continuing north or south along the eastern seaboard.
Hundreds of bicyclists enjoyed a ride across the bridge for the first time ever last weekend, and the renovations to the bridge also added dedicated space for a future transit line — not something you see everyday on an interstate bridge in the United States.
Building a new bridge to replace the 1961 bridge had been discussed for decades, but the planning kicked into high gear in the 1990’s, with Maryland, Virginia, and the federal government all engaged in the process (DC relinquished control to the states.)
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| The King Street (Virginia) and Branch Avenue (Maryland) Metro stops are separated by just a few miles and the Potomac River, but require a long ride into DC to travel between the two on the Metrorail system. One day, Metro might cross the Wilson Bridge instead. |
Looking at a map of the Metrorail public transportation system, one can see that only a few miles separate the end of the green line in Maryland and the yellow and blue lines in Virginia. There was no active work to connect the two lines, but a handful of people in the planning process wondered about dedicating some space on the bridge for a future, useful Metro connection.
Parris Glendening, Governor of Maryland from 1995-2003, said that planning for a future transit connection was just common sense.
“Those stations are just a few miles apart as the crow flies, but no one in Maryland who has a choice is going to ride all the way up into DC to switch trains and ride all the way back out to Virginia — and end up only a few miles from where they started,” he said.
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Are we building new roads to crumbling bridges?
January 8, 2009By Stephen Lee Davis
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| Would you like to avoid another one of these? Tell Congress |
When Minnesota’s I-35W bridge collapsed in 2007, many Americans were shocked to learn that thousands of bridges across the country were rated “structurally deficient.” The last major survey in 2007 found that more than 72,000 bridges were structurally deficient — or about 12.1% of all our nation’s bridges.
With billions of dollars about to be spent on an economic recovery package, you’d think Congress would prioritize fixing dangerous bridges and repairing unsafe highways — as well as investing in ready-to-go transit or rail projects that can help meet our pressing national goals of reducing oil dependence and lowering dangerous emissions.
But the powerful highway lobby is pressing hard for nearly all the money to be spent constructing new roads and bridges. This makes no sense.
Urge Congress to fix what’s broken before committing billions to expanding roads and highways.
Before we add capacity to a highway system that is already too big to maintain in good condition, we should focus on life-saving maintenance and repair projects.
These are the projects that can get going now in communities large and small, creating millions of jobs, while making roads safer and preventing another tragic bridge collapse.
Congress simply can’t afford to write a blank check for new roads — and Americans can’t afford to have billions thrown away on projects we don’t need.
We need smart transportation spending that’s responsive to taxpayers, not the highway lobby. A fix-it-first transportation agenda is the solution we need to help create jobs in the short term, protect jobs in the long term, and help reduce our dangerous dependency on foreign oil.
Could Selling Bridges Solve Congestion?
September 16, 2008By Andrew Bielak
A former transportation commissioner for New York City calls for an alternative route for congestion pricing — selling the Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges to the Metropolitan Transit Authority and generating revenue through tolling. (New York Times — William Neuman)
Roads, airports on the block as budgets tighten
August 12, 2008By Andrew Bielak
With city and state governments feeling squeezed amidst the continued economic slowdown, many are looking to lease highways, bridges, and airports to private companies in order to keep the cash flowing. (Reuters — Jonathan Stempel)
Billions needed to shore up nation’s bridges
July 29, 2008By Andrew Bielak
One year after the Minnesota bridge collapse, the Federal Highway Administration reports that 12 percent of the nation’s bridges are structurally deficient. (USA Today — Marisol Bello)
House backs $1 billion initiative to upgrade nation’s bridges
July 25, 2008By Andrew Bielak
U.S. House approves $1 billion plan, sponsored by Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), to upgrade nation’s bridges and improve safety measures. (Minneapolis Star Tribune — Kevin Diaz)
House takes up Oberstar’s bridge bill
July 24, 2008By Andrew Bielak
Nearly one year after the Minnesota bridge collapse, the U.S. House is expected to vote today on a bill sponsored by Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) that would authorize $1 billion to rebuild structurally deficient bridges in the national highway system and tighten safety requirements. (Minneapolis Star Tribune – Frederic Frommer)
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- T4 America co-chair testifies before Senate on rural transportation
March 18, 2010 - Atlanta-area transit system 14 days from shutting down, 2 million rides disappearing
March 17, 2010 - U.S. Transportation Department makes good on promise to ensure our streets are made safer
March 16, 2010 - Obama’s livability programs help rural America too
March 16, 2010 - Transit grants out the federal door, but what about the cuts?
March 8, 2010
- T4 America co-chair testifies before Senate on rural transportation
The United States of Transit Cutbacks
Driving is down and transit ridership is at record highs. Yet transit agencies across the country are considering layoffs, service cuts and fare hikes. Find out more and learn what you can do to help at t4america.org/transitcuts
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