In late February, construction crews noticed issues on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge that led to the emergency closure of three middle lanes on the Interstate 66 crossing. Now, Everett Lott, the director of the District’s Department of Transportation, says the work in those center lanes should be completed this summer.
“We are anticipating that we’ll have that completed around mid-June and should be able to open the bridge back up, all lanes, to traffic in both directions,” Lott said.
The emergency work won’t be completed in its entirety, as Lott said the ramps into Virginia would continue to be worked on through September.
The 58-year-old bridge continues to be deemed “structurally deficient,” according to Lott, which means more frequent inspections of it by the city.
“The bridge is still safe for vehicular access, to travel back and forth over the bridge, it’s still safe for pedestrians to cross, bicycles to ride over,” Lott said.
According to the District, $225 million from President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Law will make sure the structure, along with the H Street Bridge and the Southwest Freeway bridges, are brought back up to a state of good repair.
Lott said currently, environmental studies and the design process are still underway for the rehabilitation projects but work on the Roosevelt and H Street bridges are slated to be in 2024.
Lott did seek to answer one question he has frequently been receiving about what will happen with the $150 million revamp of the Roosevelt Bridge.
“It will not look like Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, but it will be just as efficient and just as fabulous for and just as safe for people to cross back and forth across the Potomac River,” Lott said.
