Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge
Washington, DC
Project Description
The new and old bridges in Washington, D.C., are vital for carrying traffic from Prince George’s County, Maryland, and other areas of Southern Maryland into the capital. In 1950, the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge (originally referred to as the South Capitol Street Bridge) was built. Each day, it served upwards of 77,000 commuters.
The design of the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, which is located twenty feet away from the original one, includes three above-deck arches, four pedestrian overlooks, and two piers that seem to float in the Anacostia waterfront. The replacement bridge was completed in 2021. The new bridge has six traffic lanes and improved accommodations for pedestrians and bicycles. The bridge’s design is intended to allow the smoother flow of traffic on both sides of the river and in front of the Air Force base.
Besides serving as a fitting memorial to one of the nation’s greatest civil rights leaders, the bridge better connects the community and enhances the transportation infrastructure supporting continued growth and improvement in the area.
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Our Role
Working with construction engineer, McNary Bergeron & Associates, Hatcher Technical reviewed all concrete components of the bridge, including the abutments, center V-pier footings, and the arch bases at the abutments and center V-piers. The review considered areas of congestion, and constructability issues.
As a part of this process, Hatcher Technical developed fully integrated 3D models of the abutment and the arch base there, and the center V-pier footings and arch bases. From these models, Hatcher Technical detailed fully integrated construction shop drawings for the contractor to build off.
Location
Spanning the Anacostia River
Washington, DC
Owner
District of Columbia Department of Transportation
Contractor
South Capitol Bridge Builders
(Archer Western and Granite)
Designer
AECOM
Construction Engineer
McNary Bergeron & Associates
Total Contract Value
$441 Million
Timeline
2017 - 2021
Construction Method
The continuous bridge consists of three steel arches: 540 ft. main span with 452 ft. side spans. These back-to-back-to-back arches are founded on shared post-tensioned cast-in-place concrete V-Piers and abutments.
