New 11th St. Bridge span open to commuters

Commuters crossing the Anacostia River will have to adjust to new traffic patterns this week after a new span of the revamped 11th Street Bridge opened Saturday night. The new outbound bridge will connect the Southeast/Southwest Freeway to southbound Interstate 295.

It’s the second major link in the $300 million dollar project, D.C.’s largest construction venture, on which work began in 2009. The District Department of Transportation is replacing the two aging outbound and inbound bridges with three new bridges — one outbound, one inbound and one local — in addition to adding a set of ramps that will make connecting to the highways much easier.