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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Today’s Headlines — 06/03/09
June 3, 2009By Andrew Bielak
- The Highway Trust Fund, which funds surface transportation projects nationwide, will need as much $7 billion to counter a shortfall in revenue. (Wall Street Journal)
- Alex Marshall stresses the importance of anticipating demand in transportation planning. (Governing)
- Gas prices near $3 a gallon leave some feeling stressed out. (Detroit Free Press)
- The Hummer brand goes to a company in China. (New York Times)
Support builds for sweeping growth bill
August 8, 2008By Andrew Bielak
A statewide proposal in California to encourage infill development, shorten commute times, and limit C02 emissions could have a big impact around San Diego, where regional planners are working to make housing more affordable and closer to jobs. (San Diego Union Tribune — Michael Gardner)
On transportation woes
August 7, 2008By Andrew Bielak
S.F. Post’s editorial board says that Californians need to understand the connection between land use decisions, congestion, and greenhouse gases, and backs a proposal by state senator Darrell Steinberg to require that regional and local transportation plans include reports on the impact of greenhouse gases.
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March 16, 2010 - Transit grants out the federal door, but what about the cuts?
March 8, 2010 - Transit riders in Atlanta face massive cuts, “wholesale restructuring” of service
March 5, 2010
- Atlanta-area transit system 14 days from shutting down, 2 million rides disappearing
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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