The Arlington Memorial Bridge is a neoclassical stone bridge, steel, and stone arch with a central bascule (or suspension bridge) that crosses the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. First proposed in 1886, the bridge was not rebuilt for decades because of a political dispute over whether the bridge should be a warning, and to whom or what. The traffic problem was linked to Tomb of the Unknown Soldier's dedication in November 1921 and the desire to build a bridge in time for the two-century birthday of George Washington's birth to its development in 1932.
Designed by architectural firm McKim, Mead, and White, adorned with monumental sculptures depicting courage and sacrifice by the sculptor Leo Friedlander, cast by Ferdinando Marinelli Artistic Foundry, Florence, Italy, the Arlington Memorial Bridge defines the western end of the National Mall. The bridge's draw span was permanently closed in 1961. The bridge has received small improvements, but in 2013, has never experienced major and worsening repairs. This bridge is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Bridge's Draw Span will be restored in August 2016 and the bridge will be operated after the restoration.
Video Arlington Memorial Bridge
Initial attempt to build bridges
Prediction of the early warning bridge
The Congress first proposed a bridge on the site of the current structure on May 24, 1886. The resolution requires that the US Department of War study the feasibility of a bridge on site, and a 24-foot (7.3 m) wide design proposed later that year. The following year, the War Department advised the "Lincoln-Grant Memorial Bridge". The Washington Post supports the idea of ​​naming the bridge after Robert E. Lee and Grant. The Congress again issued a resolution calling for another design, and by the end of 1887 the department proposed "General Ulysses S. Grant Memorial Bridge". The new bridge will be a 105 feet (32 m) suspension bridge, with a permit below 98 feet (30 m). The designs for the current bridge include the bare steel truss bridge, the low stone arch bridge, and the Romanesque Revival structure by Paul J. Pelz with two large central towers, two barbicans at each end, and abundant ornaments. Senator John W. Daniel sponsored a law in 1897 funding a bedrock survey on the Potomac River. Congress approved the law in the same year, and the US Army Engineer Corps began the survey in July. The survey was submitted in March 1898.
Because the bridge was conceived as a warning to Grant, Congress repeatedly blocked funding for the bridge. But after the Corps survey was completed, Congress ordered the War Secretary to issue $ 5,000 ($ 147,080 in 2017 dollars) at the bridge design competition. To help improve the prospects for a bridge, the "National Memorial Bridge Association" was formed. In July, four leading bridge engineers from New York City - George S. Morrison, Leffert L. Buck, William H. Burr, and William R. Hutton - were invited to submit designs for a memorial bridge to honor American war deaths. The five-member board appointed by the Secretary of War chose design by William H. Burr and architect Edward P. Casey (Taft Bridge designer). Their design, based on the 1887 winning plan, calls for a suspension bridge made of steel and rock with 36 arches. A "classic" tower is at each end of the lottery, on it will stand bronze statues of Victory. Statues of generals and famous statesmen (either bronze or granite) will coat both sides of the bridge.
Senator George F. Hoar blocked the bridge from being built in June 1900 because he opposed the design. The National Memorial Bridge Association began pushing again for a bridge in October 1900, and commissioned the Connecticut architect George Keller to devise a plan. Keller's design was exhibited in Washington in November. Contrary to almost all previous designs, the bridge is low to the water and eliminates the span of the draw. The design features a monumental Romanesque Revival arch for the D.C approach. and a memorial column celebrating Union on the Virginia side, both placed in traffic circles. Keller's design was published in architectural magazines, and in 1901 was widely seen as an appropriate design for the bridge.
In 1901, the American Institute of Architects proposed that the bridge extend to New York Avenue NW (which ends at 23rd Street NW) over Potomac to the Arlington National Cemetery. But once again, Congress does not act.
McMillan Plan proposal
In 1900, the US Senate created the Senate Park Commission to reconcile a competing vision for the development of Washington, D.C., and especially the National Mall and nearby areas. Known as the McMillan Commission after its chairman, Sen. James McMillan from Michigan, the commission released its report (usually referred to as "McMillan's Plan") on January 15, 1902.
McMillan's plan proposes the placement of new bridges and warnings at the western end of the National Mall, an area also known as the West Potomac Park. Almost no National Mall is to the west of the Washington Monument grounds and under Constitution Avenue NW existed before 1882. After severe floods inundated much of downtown Washington, DC, in 1881, Congress ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the deep channel at Potomac and use materials to fill the Potomac coastline (creating the current river bank) and raise this and much of the land near the White House and along Pennsylvania Avenue NW nearly 6 feet (1.8 m) to prevent future floods.. This "reclaimed land" - which included West Potomac Park, East Potomac Park, Tidal Basin - was largely completed in 1890, and Potomac Park was appointed by Congress in 1897. The first congress earned money to embellish reclaimed land in 1902, which causing soil cultivation, shrubs and trees; assessment and pavement of sidewalks, bridle lanes, and driveways; and installation of water, drainage and waste pipes.
Although Congress did not formally adopt the McMillan Plan, it began to apply it little by little over the next few years. In 1910, Congress enacted a law establishing the United States Fine Arts Commission, a government-appointed architect body, landscape architect, and others that began formally encouraging the bridge construction envisaged by McMillan's Plan. On March 4, 1913, Congress passed the Public Building Act which, among other things, created and funded the Arlington Arlington Bridge Commission whose purpose was to establish a design for the bridge and report back to Congress. Its members include the President of the United States, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairman of the committee in the public place and the House of Representatives and Senate (or designated). But Congress did not use money for commission operations because of World War I, and it remained inactive.
Maps Arlington Memorial Bridge
Construction: 1922-32
On November 11, 1921, President Warren G. Harding traveled to an endorsement ceremony for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. He is stuck in a traffic jam for three hours because Highway Bridge (where he travels) can not handle traffic. Finishing to prevent that from happening again, Harding sought for a $ 25,000 plunder in 1922 to finance the work of the bridge commission. Congress approved his request on 12 June 1922.
Initially, the Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission proposed a site for the bridge at the New York Avenue location, upstream from its current position. But the Arts Commission (CFA), which has legislative powers to approve placement and warning design, opposes the plan. With President Harding leading the Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission meeting together with Vice President Calvin Coolidge and the Fine Arts Commission on December 18, 1922, at that time unanimously decided to comply with McMillan's Plan and put the bridge at face to face between Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery. The parties also agreed to seek to build a low (not monumental) bridge with a bascule in the middle to allow ship traffic to reach the Georgetown coast.
Bridge design considerations
The bridge commission asks the Arts Commission whether there should be an open design competition (as in the past) or whether the bridge commission should choose the designer itself. The CFA recommends direct elections, and names three companies: Charles A. Platt, who designed the Freer Gallery of Art; Paul Philippe Cret, who designed the Pan-American Union Building; and McKim firm, Mead and White. The bridge commission selected the direct selection, and chose the McKim company, Mead and White on April 4, 1923. Architects William Mitchell Kendall was the principal designer.
Members of the D.C business community immediately pressed for a resolution on whether the bridge would have a drawing range. Merchants in Georgetown want their small ports to be reached by large ships. On February 17, 1923, Colonel C.O. Sherrill of Army Corps of Engineers states that the Corps will only approve a bridge with a drawing range.
Kendall's first design, submitted to the CFA in May 1923, was generally well received. The plan envisioned the low neoclassical arch bridge. Two statues stand on each dock on both sides of the bridge. Approach D.C. consisting of a traffic circle around the Lincoln Memorial linked to the Potomac River by plaza and monumental steps ("sluice gates"). Two warning columns are placed in this square. On a landing on Columbia Island, Kendall envisions a giant crossover bordered by a grassy ellipse, with a traffic circle at the north and south arms ends. The traffic circle will accommodate Lee Highway and Mt. Vernon Memorial Parkway. In the ellipse is placed two 181-foot height warning columns (55 m). Two circular Greek Awakening shrines are planned for the west coastline. The commission was very pleased that Kendall owns Rock Creek and the Potomac Parkway linked to a traffic circle around the Lincoln Memorial rather than passing under the bridge through the arch. (Kendall had, in fact, intended to pass through one of the arches of the bridge but forgot to make changes.) However, the CFA member asked him to consider the bridge widening to 100 feet (30 m) from the proposed 80 feet (24 m). The CFA also discussed long-term long-term proposals for a large traffic circle on Columbia Island, where a warning will be placed for Robert E. Lee. There is also concern that sufficient space has been allocated to allow Mount Vernon Memorial Parkway, Lee Highway, and Memorial Drive (planned to cross the Boundary Channel via Boundary Channel Bridge to Virginia and connect with the main gateway to Arlington National Cemetery). When the CFA gave preliminary approval for the design of the bridge (but withstood a resolution on the approach), the bridge model began to be exhibited in February 1924.
Legislative approval
A bill enacting the construction of the Arlington Memorial Bridge was introduced in the US Senate on 25 April 1924, by Senator Bert M. Fernald. The Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds reported the bill in mid-May. But the law is miserable. With Congress due to a delay on March 4, 1925, the Senate finally passed the bridge bill on 30 December 1924. Senator William Borah made a movement to reconsider the bill at the end of January 1925, Borah's movement did not ask the House to return the Senate -mill of the bill, affecting the bill in a good way.
The bridge authorization faces a much more difficult time in the US House of Representatives. The House Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds quickly approved the bill and reported it on January 27, 1925, less than a month after receiving it from the Senate. But with the legislative logjam in the DPR and only about 30 days remaining in the legislative session, the chances of the bill for approval seem thin. The floor manager helps to guide the bill through the final approval process of trying to bring the bill for approval on January 30, believing that they have the two-thirds majority required to suspend the rules to allow bills to be considered. Instead, the Parliament voted to suspend the legislative calendar - blocking all legislatures except for the allocation bill.
The floor manager won a big win, however, when the House quickly passed the law of designation and allowed the bridge bill to be considered on 18 February. There is a significant opposition to the bill on the DPR floor. Many Democrats are against the bill, and some Republicans feel that it is against President Calvin Coolidge's budget control program. Many members of Congress receive feedback from their constituents, who do not want their tax dollars to pay for bridges in the District of Columbia. Representative Louis C. Cramton offers an amendment to the District of Columbia paying "a fair amount" of bridge fees. (The amount must be determined by the Congress on a future date.) The amendment was approved by a vote of 103 to 89. Amendments to make the city pay 60 percent of the cost, to make the state of Virginia pay half the cost, and require the Army Engineers Corps to build bridges defeated. Finally, the House of Representatives approved the Arlington Memorial Bridge bill with a vote of 204-to-125.
The Senate approved the House amendment on February 20, and President Coolidge signed it into law on 24 February 1925. In 1926, Financial Supervisor John R. McCarl canceled a contract for the construction of a $ 12.5 million bridge as they called for hiring general contractors instead certain individuals, because he believes the law is necessary. In 1927, Congress changed the law so that the contract could continue.
Bridge Construction
The Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission oversees the design and construction of the bridge. The Arlington Memorial Bridge opened on January 16, 1932. The dedication ceremony was presided over by President Herbert Hoover. Designed by architectural firm McKim, Mead, and White, the neoclassical bridge is 2,163 feet (659 m) long. The bridge costs $ 7.25 million to build, of which $ 900,000 is associated with a central drawing range.
Virginia's development approaching the bridge took six years. The National Park Commission of the Capital (NCPC) has the authority to plan and approve a regional transportation plan, and wants Virginia's approach to the bridge to be a new avenue. This will help stimulate housing and economic growth in Arlington County. The state of Virginia (which will provide some funding for the approach) and Arlington County officials deals with cost and development issues. Roads and new approaches will be the most expensive (mainly because of the need to get the right way), the main consideration in the Great Depression. However, connecting a bridge to an existing highway will not stimulate development. The choice of routes also has political considerations, as the environment competes to be the recipient of this economic stimulus. The development of Lee Boulevard (now known as Arlington Boulevard) and Washington Boulevard to the east both provide opportunities for economic stimulus. The states and counties eventually agreed to push Lee Boulevard northward around the Arlington National Cemetery. When the project is experiencing street-rights issues, the state and county build Washington Boulevard in the south around the cemetery. When Lee Boulevard issues are resolved, and with the addition of a large number of new federal dollars, the states and districts re-establish Lee Boulevard's approach. Lee Boulevard's approach finally opened in October 1938. The construction of the Pentagon in 1941 and extensive war-related buildings in the southern cemetery in 1942 caused the federal government to approve a second connection by expanding Washington Boulevard past the Arlington National Cemetery and through such a Boundary Channel too.
Upon opening, the Arlington Memorial Bridge bascule range is the longest, heaviest (3,000 short tons (2.700 °)), and the fastest open bascule openings in the world.
About bridge
The northeastern approach of this bridge frames, in part, the Lincoln Memorial, while a landing south-west of the bridge is on Columbia Island. The northeast end of the bridge marks the western edge of the National Mall. The southwest end connects with Memorial Drive, which crosses the Boundary Channel Bridge to Virginia and travels to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County.
In 2011, the bridge was transporting about 54,000 vehicles per day.
Architecture
The northeast entrance to the Arlington Memorial Bridge features the Arts of War , Sacrifice and Valor statues, completed by Leo Friedlander in 1951 On the pylons each bridge dock is a large round disc with eagles and fasces designed by sculptor Carl Paul Jennewein.
The closest Metro station to the bridge is Arlington Cemetery. The bridge connects, both literally and symbolically, to Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House, the former home of Civil War General Robert E. Lee. This placement is done deliberately to represent North and South reunification.
At the southwestern end of Columbia Island, the bridge and connecting road connect with the George Washington Memorial Parkway, State Route 27 and State Route 110. At the northeast end, the bridge and connecting road connect with Constitution Avenue, Independence Avenue, Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, and the District of Columbia Interstate 66 segment.
The uniqueness of the traffic circle at the southwest end is that the traffic already in the circle must generate the traffic entering the circle - the opposite of the standard rule. During the morning rush hour, some of the traffic circles are closed to prevent a merger that would otherwise bind to rush hour traffic.
The center of the bridge is a range of metal images, intended to allow large ships to cross into the upper reaches of Georgetown. However, with the construction of Theodore Roosevelt Bridge immediately upstream, which has no such provision, the draw mechanism has been abandoned. It was opened for the last time on February 28, 1961. Bascule leaves had to be balanced with scrap metal embedded in concrete, but during the Great Depression there was not enough leftover available for the project. Swedish iron ore ship loads eventually provide the 2400 short tons (2,200 t) needed for counterweight.
Arlington Memorial Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 4, 1980.
Renewal history
The bridge was damaged during a flood in March 1936 when water was infiltrated and caused shorts in bridge electrical equipment. Improvements were made in late 1938 and early 1939. The Electrical Underground Construction Co. in New York City received $ 9,245 to replace broken electrical equipment and cables, install new power lines, and install two water pumps. In October 1936, a gear and crankshaft in the pull bridge were damaged. The bridge was closed for nine hours while the crew rushed to fix the span, which was open and could not allow traffic. The closing, Washington Post is reported, is the longest since the bridge opened.
The primary maintenance and repair work on the bridge first occurred in 1939. The draw span was painted, bridges were repeated, the western engine room was heated, and the granite in Virginia abutments was lifted and cleaned. This led to a six-hour closing on August 30, August 31, and September 1.
In 1945, the bridge was closed for two hours while the workers attended the jammed range of images. The bridge was closed again on the night of August 2, 1947, and most of the day on 3 August when the workers changed gears and axes that kept the draw distance from vibrating as it passed by traffic. National Park Service (NPS) says it is the longest closing second in the history of the bridge.
The main work occurred again in 1951. The granite block on the road surface was removed, and the bridge was replaced with asphalt (safer material) in a repaving project for $ 207,000. The work began on July 16, 1951. Some of the six bridge lanes were closed during the working week, and the entire bridge was closed for traffic over the weekend for four consecutive weeks. Corson and Gruman Co. do the job. Minor repetitions occurred again in July 1957.
Beginning in March 1964, at least one lane of the six-lane bridge was closed every day while improvements were made to the drawing range. However, the bridge was never completely closed.
Additional work on the bridge occurred in November 1976. The lottery range was immobilized and sealed, and the approach at both ends of the bridge was improved. Three lanes to the heaviest traffic flow remain open during peak hours, but only one lane in the opposite direction. At other times, only one path in each direction is open. This fix lasts several weeks.
Major repairs took place in the summer of 1985. The work involved bridging and refurbishing some safety features and more. A $ 4.7 million construction project, involving two-lane closure in each direction, is conducted by A.A. Beiro Construction Co. To help speed up the work, the company receives a $ 4,000-a-day bonus every day completed ahead of schedule.
Work began in the first week of April 1985 and ended September 25.
Conservation work and repairs were carried out on bridge sidewalks in January 2011, which resulted in two-lane closure in each direction during the daytime without busyness. The center line was closed for several days in March 2012 for additional rehabilitation work. In June 2012, Cianbro Corp. oversaw an eight-week project, $ 788,000 to repair the bridge decks, restore the granite sidewalks, and replace the sidewalks in both approaches. At least one path (and sometimes two) in each direction is closed in September, October, and November.
Despite these various projects, by 2012 the bridge has never undergone major improvements. That year, a report by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requested a complete overhaul of the Arlington Memorial Bridge.
Inspection 2013 and 2015
In February 2013, FHWA launched a large inspection of the bridge deck. In April, the head of the transportation division of the National Park Service Charles N. Borders II stated, "The bridge... is really on the edge, and beyond, its life cycle". The inspection was conducted on April 24, 2013, by the Federal Office of Lands Bridge, an offshoot of FHWA. In the post-inspection report, FHWA declared the bridge to be "in overall poor condition due to continuing problems related to steel corrosion in the bascule range, concrete damage in the curvature range, and damage to the sidewalk and surface wear." Among the issues noted in the report: moderate amounts of carat found on all bridge load beams, medium to medium extension in reinforced concrete arches, metal flakes (or "spalls") coming out of steel blocks. under the road deck, and the drainage system is clogged in many places by debris or rust.
The Washington Post reports that without immediate action, truck and bus traffic on bridges could be banned within five years. However, the park service has not been budgeted for any improvements. Borders suggests that if Congress would soon fund overall bridge improvements, reconstruction of two to four years could begin in early 2016. Repair options, ranging from $ 125 million to $ 250 million in costs, include replacing the draw range with Fixed coverage and closing bridges completely for 40 to 100 days or keep him partially open for four years.
In January 2015, FHWA and NPS released an environmental assessment of the Arlington Memorial Bridge rehabilitation. It states the bridge is safe for all traffic, but warns that the damage "continues to grow very quickly." The report warns that bascule ranges are in very bad shape: "Overall, the superstructure of the Arlington Memorial Bridge bascule ranges in fair to poor conditions with severe damage areas."
Lotto stripping
On May 15, 2015, the National Park Service suddenly closed a bridge lane for an indefinite time to conduct critical corrosion inspection of the bridge.
Inspection found corrosion to the bascule range. FHWA engineers decided that it was no longer safe for traffic to pass along the outer lane of the bascule range; consequently, these two lanes are closed for traffic on the night of May 28, 2015. In addition, the experts found that corrosion has affected secondary support beams across the bridges for which they charge a short 10 ton (9.1 tt) limit. per vehicle, essentially banning most of the crossed buses. Law enforcement agencies with bridge jurisdiction say they will start stopping overweight vehicles to educate drivers about the new load limit, but will not buy tickets for a few weeks to give "education time" time to work. Engineers also closed the 4 foot (1.2 m) strip of sidewalks on both sides of the bridge from the structural problem.
While unlimited weight limits (while awaiting the full rehabilitation of the bridge), NPS officials say the lanes and sidewalks will be closed six to nine months to allow workers to prop up rusted beams and bascule ranges. The Transportation Department issued a call for an offer on May 26, 2015, and said the contractor will be selected on June 18. The $ 5 million project to cover repair or replacement of expansion joints, steel, structural concrete; improvement of drainage; concrete pavement repair; asphalt recovery on the bridge deck; and clearing of debris. Cianbro Corp. of Maine, which rehabilitated the bridge a decade earlier, won a $ 2.5 million contract to start improvements, which are expected to take about six months to complete. (Jobs will only allow re-opening of the path, but not removing the weight limit of 10 tons.) The work will begin on the bridge at the end of August or early September 2015.
In a July 2016 statement issued jointly by the offices of Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine; Representatives of Don Beyer, Gerald Connolly, and Barbara Comstock; and Delegation Eleanor Holmes Norton, NPS plans to repair the bridge in two phases. The first phase, which addresses the most urgent bridge repair, will update and strengthen the approach that spans across both ends of the bridge at a cost of $ 166 million. This improvement will allow the bridge to remain open until 2030. The second phase, which costs an estimated $ 94 million, will replace the basecule parcel and make other improvements to the bridge.
On July 5, 2016, the US Department of Transportation awarded a $ 90 million grant from Fostering Progress in Shipping and Transport for Long-Term Achievements from the National FaisLANE Program to the National Park Service and District of Columbia to permit improvements to the bridge to begin. The grant is conditional to find an additional $ 36 million in funds suitable for the project, funds that can come from other federal non-transport funds or from local funds. A joint statement by the congressional group said that FASTLANE's assistance would allow NPS to start engineering planning and issue contracts, taking into account early development in early 2017.
2018 major renovations
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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