Memorial Bridge to Close For First Weekend of November

The Arlington Memorial Bridge will be completely closed during the first weekend of November as part of its multi-year, $227 million rehabilitation project.

The National Park Service said in a press release today (Monday) that the bridge will be closed to all traffic — including cars, pedestrians, and cyclists — to make space for repair work on the southern side of the bridge.

The closure will be in effect from 10 p.m. on Friday, November 1, to 5 a.m. on Monday, November 4.

The current, temporary lane configuration on the bridge is expected to remain the same following the re-opening of the bridge, with one lane open for eastbound travel to D.C., another lane open for westbound travel to Virginia, and one lane kept reversible for rush hour traffic.

“Drivers and cyclists should exercise caution and expect to see construction workers in the road 30 minutes before and after the scheduled times for traffic shifts,” said NPS spokesman Jonathan Shafer in a statement. “Detours for pedestrians and cyclists will be signed.”

Shafer also warned pedestrians and cyclists to stick to crosswalks and “refrain from taking shortcuts across these busy roads.”

The weekend shutdown follows two other shutdowns last year, which also closed the bridge to weekend travelers.

Since kicking off repairs last year on the bridge’s facade and structure, Shafter said crews have reached the halfway point, after finishing the following steps:

1. Replacing the concrete structures that support the south side of the bridge.
2. Installing new precast concrete panels to replace half of the bridge deck.
3. Placing new steel beams on the south side of the bridge.
4. Cleaning, repairing and reinstalling the bridge’s historic granite balustrade.

Earlier this year, NPS also announced plans to redesign Memorial Circle in front of the bridge, on the Virginia side of the Potomac River.