The National Park Service announced last week that preparatory work in advance of the rehabilitation of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, in Washington D.C., will begin this week.

National Park Service

The National Park Service announced last week that preparatory work in advance of the rehabilitation of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, in Washington D.C., will begin this week.

Crews will begin work on the staging area for the $227 million project, which will shore up a historic structure that’s been under weight restrictions for three years. Kiewit Infrastructure was awarded a $192 million design-build contract last year, funded largely by NPS transportation and construction funds and a Department of Transportation FASTLANE Grant.

Project Background

The 1932 bascule bridge, built of masonry, steel and stone, connects Arlington National Cemetery with with the National Mall and Memorial Parks, serving as a symbolic connection between the district and the state of Virginia. Its deterioration was first brought to light in 2015 and the span was in danger of closing completely by 2021; the rehab job is expected to add 75 years to its service life.

Steel painting is expected to take place every 25 years after the rehab is complete.

According to the NPS, crews reinforce some of the bridge’s steel structure (primarily the bascule span), reinforce the bridge deck and pour new concrete on the roadway in order to prepare for the start of major construction later this year.

The agency said that when the contract was issued, the design-build model would save $35 million and cut 18 months off the project’s duration. The NPS expects the job to be done in about 18 months, completed in one phase.