Arlington Memorial Bridge
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| Arlington Memorial Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Memorial Bridge with Arlington National Cemetery and Robert E. Lee's house in the background. |
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| Crosses | Potomac River |
| Locale | Washington, D.C. |
| Design | Arch bridge |
| Total length | 660 m |
| Opening date | January 16, 1932 |
Arlington Memorial Bridge connects Columbia Island with the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. across the Potomac River. The eastern end of the bridge marks the western edge of the National Mall. The western end continues onto the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
The bridge's construction was authorized by Congress on February 24, 1925 and formally opened on January 16, 1932. The dedication ceremony was headed by President Herbert Hoover. Designed by architectural firm McKim, Mead and White, the neo-classical bridge is 2,163 feet (660 m) long.
Although the bridge was part of the 1901 McMillan Commission's plan for restoring Pierre L'Enfant's original plan for the capital, two decades passed before construction was initiated. President Warren G. Harding was caught in a three-hour traffic jam while on his way to dedicate the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, because the previous wooden bridge could not handle the traffic. The ensuing turmoil led to appropriation for the bridge construction.[1]
The eastern entrance to the bridge features the "Arts of War" sculptures, "Sacrifice" and "Valor", which were completed by Leo Friedlander in 1951. On the pylons of each pier of the bridge are large circular discs with eagles and fasces designed by the sculptor Carl Paul Jennewein.
The closest Metro stop to the bridge is Arlington Cemetery. The bridge connects, both literally and symbolically, the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House, the home of Robert E. Lee. This placement was done intentionally to represent the reunification of the north and the south.
At the western terminus on Columbia Island, the bridge and its connecting roadways connect with the George Washington Parkway and with State Route 27 and State Route 110. At the eastern terminus, the bridge and its connecting roadways connect with Constitution Avenue, Independence Avenue, the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, and the District of Columbia segment of Interstate 66.
A peculiarity of the traffic circle at the western terminus is that traffic already in the circle must yield to traffic entering the circle — the exact opposite of the usual rule. During morning rush hour, a portion of the traffic circle is closed to prevent mergers that would otherwise tie up rush-hour traffic.
The center span of the bridge is a metal draw span, intended to allow large vessels to pass upriver to Georgetown. However, with the construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge immediately upstream, which has no such provision, the draw mechanism has been abandoned.
[edit] References
- ^ James M. Goode's Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, DC
[edit] Further reading
- National Park Service website
- National Park Service George Washington Parkway website
- Arlington Memorial Bridge in the Structurae database
- Memorial Bridge Brief History with historical images and recent 2008 photos
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