A rehabilitation project on the I-395 northbound bridge over the Potomac River has taken a key step forward.
The construction firm Skanska has been awarded a $114 million design-build contract to conduct renovations and upgrades on the bridge connecting Arlington and D.C. Construction is expected to begin in early 2027, Skanska said in a press release.
The four-lane bridge, also known as the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge, was built in 1950 and carries about 90,000 vehicles per day. Rehab work is expected to extend its service life for another 75 years.
“The bridge’s new fixed span structure will help to eliminate traffic bottlenecks, creating a streamlined travel experience with added safety and signage components,” said Brook Brookshire, senior vice president and general manager for Skanska USA Civil’s Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions.
The contract is from the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration.
Construction work is expected to take about two years, according to a project page.
“DDOT has identified bridge components that are in poor condition or are in fair condition and at risk of reaching poor condition if not addressed,” the page says.
More from the press release:
Skanska’s scope includes replacement of the bascule piers’ vessel protection system and bridge barrier to comply with MASH collision requirements; rehabilitation of the approach spans’ superstructure and substructure maintenance; and replacement of secondary bridge components removed due to construction including overhead sign structures, luminaires and bridge drainage. As part of the renovation and enhancement project, Skanska will also convert the current 175-foot-long double-leaf bascule span bridge into a fixed span bridge using accelerated bridge construction (ABC) techniques during a 56-hour weekend shutdown aimed at minimizing traffic impacts.
Skanska is also partly responsible for another big-ticket infrastructure project, the nearby Long Bridge North Project. Last year, in collaboration with the infrastructure company FlatironDragados, Skanska began work on that $1 billion project, which is meant to expand rail traffic between Arlington and D.C.
Photos (1 and 2) via DDOT
