Woodrow Wilson Bridge Replacement
Washington, DC, United States
Client: Federal Highway Administration, Maryland State Highway Administration, Virginia Department of Transportation, District of Columbia Department of Transportation
Parsons Brinckerhoff Role: General Engineering Consultant
The dedication ceremony for the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge carried the theme: “A bridge completed, a region connected.” This award-winning structure replaced a functionally obsolete bridge on the Capital Beltway with two side-by-side drawbridges carrying 12 lanes of traffic over the Potomac River between Virginia and Maryland. Parsons Brinckerhoff is the lead member of a joint venture serving as general engineering consultant. Besides the new bridge, the 7.5-mile (12.1-kilometer), $2.5 billion project involves reconstructing four adjacent interchanges, two in Virginia and two in Maryland.
The bridge’s location in a heavily developed metropolitan area—rich in parks and natural areas—required compatibility with local environmental, traffic, aesthetic, historic and socioeconomic concerns, with a particular sensitivity to public issues. Design-related responsibilities included implementing public information and involvement programs; obtaining environmental permits; contract administration; and establishing project-wide cost and schedule controls. During construction, the project team also provided hands-on construction engineering and inspection services. Additional responsibilities included design coordination; cost and schedule control; maintenance of traffic; community relations and stakeholder involvement; environmental assessment and permitting; congestion management; material testing; and full-service construction management.
The Woodrow Wilson Bridge is the recipient of numerous industry awards and honors, including the 2009 American Council of Engineering Companies Engineering Excellence Grand Award and the 2009 Gustav Lindenthal Medal for Excellence in Bridge Engineering. The project is scheduled to conclude in 2013 with completion of the fourth highway interchange.