Skip to main content

Work planned with drawbridge opening this week on Woodrow Wilson Bridge

Motorists using the Capital Beltway between Oxon Hill, Maryland, and Alexandria, Virginia, can expect overnight stops and lane closures later this week with routine maintenance planned, drawbridge openings and a ship passing at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration has scheduled overnight work starting 11 p.m. Thursday, April 13. Work on the bridge will require periodic opening of the drawbridge, resulting in full traffic stops in both directions.

The traffic stops are expected to last 15 to 20 minutes each, and will occur several times overnight. The maintenance is necessary to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the drawbridge. Work is expected to be completed by 5 a.m. Friday.

Then, beginning at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, the drawbridge will open for a planned boat passage on the Potomac River, which will require full traffic stops in both directions on the bridge. This stop will take approximately 20 minutes.

Motorists are advised to allow extra driving time overnight on Thursday and Friday to accommodate the delays.

MDOT SHA understands this work will inconvenience some travelers and asks all motorists to stay alert and be patient while passing through the area.

For the latest road and traffic conditions, see WTOP’s traffic page or listen to updates every 10 minutes online or on the air at 103.5 FM. Download the free WTOP News app for Android and Apple phones to sign up for custom traffic and weather alerts.

National Museum of the American Latino to be housed in historic Smithsonian building

The Smithsonian Institution has decided to put the National Museum of the American Latino into an existing, historic building, rather than constructing a new one. The Smithsonian Board of Regents on Monday designated the Arts and Industries Building, a 145-year-old redbrick Victorian structure located between the Smithsonian Castle and the Hirshhorn Museum, as the permanent site of the National Museum of the American Latino, which Congress authorized in 2020. In 2022, the Smithsonian narrowed its survey for permanent locations for the National Museum of the American Latino and the American Women's History Museum to four locations near the National Mall on land owned by the National Park Service. The Arts and Industries Building, located at 900 Jefferson St. SW, was one of the four sites. New construction on National Park Service land would require congressional approval. However, since the Smithsonian already owns the Arts and Industries Building, the institution can place the National Museum of the American Latino in the existing building without additional legislation.
Read Next Story