Construction has begun on a replacement for two bridges destroyed in flash flooding back in 2019.
The main section of the new pedestrian bridge to span Lubber Run arrived yesterday (Tuesday) at 300 N. Park Drive. Work on the site, which began in February, is expected to wrap up sometime between July and September, county spokesperson Jerry Solomon said.
Though severe flash flooding five years ago wiped out two bridges in Lubber Run Park, the county is installing only one replacement along the stream.
“After a series of community engagement opportunities, this location of this bridge was strategically selected so that only one of the bridges lost in this area would be replaced but would still meet users’ needs,” Solomon said.
In preparation for the bridge’s arrival, crews added fencing, installed erosion and sediment controls and constructed bridge abutments.
The floods of 2019 wrecked homes, destroyed businesses and caused around $6 million in damage to county property, according to estimates at the time. A replacement bridge in Glencarlyn Park was completed in 2022.
The Arlington County Board approved a $360,000 construction contract for a Lubber Run bridge last June. The new bridge will provide access between that recreation area and Edison Park.
The bridge installation plan calls for removing one tree “that already has a very low chance of survival” and replacing it with “healthy trees in the same general areas.”
