After a two month shutdown, the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge is expected to reopen in time for Thursday morning’s rush hour, restoring a major commuter route for thousands of drivers days before the post-Labor Day crush.
The bridge, also known as the South Capitol Street Bridge, will reopen a week earlier than expected thanks to favorable weather and 20-hour-a-day work schedules, said Erik Linden, spokesman for the D.C. Department of Transportation.
“It was actually a bad thing for the city street trees but a good thing for the bridge work that we had virtually no rain over the last two months,” Linden said.
During the so-called “Extreme Makeover,” a 200-foot section of the bridge’s northern approach was lowered up to 10 feet to create an at-grade roadway, with a new intersection at South Capitol Street and Potomac Avenue – a block from the new Washington Nationals’ ballpark. The goal, Linden said, is to create an urban boulevard lined by street trees, lights and brick sidewalks, with easier access for pedestrians and cyclists.
The closure, Linden said, was “not necessarily the most popular decision with motorists, but it really allows you to get in and get out quickly.” Roughly 1,500 people took advantage of DDOT’s $50 per month “bridge bucks” program, defraying commuters’ use of Metro or carpools.
Metro saw an increase of about 2,000 riders a day during the shutdown, said Cathy Asato, transit system spokeswoman. Buses that were rerouted due to the closure will remain on their altered schedules until after Labor Day, she said. Those commuters who continued to drive used alternative routes, especially the 11th Street Bridge, New York Avenue and Benning Road.
Ongoing work on the bridge will require occasional lane closures. The job, including all streetscape improvements, is expected to be complete by April 2008, in time for the Nationals’ Opening Day.
