Reconstruction of anacostia AVE. Bridge over anacostia river outlet (bridge 78)

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) awarded the District of Columbia Department of Public Works a formula grant of $8.4 million under the Highway Planning and Construction program (CFDA 20.205) on September 12, 2025, for the reconstruction of Bridge 78, which carries Anacostia Avenue over the Anacostia River outlet in Washington, D.C. The project will deliver structural rehabilitation and modernization services designed to eliminate existing deficiencies, improve safety and accessibility, and bring the bridge into compliance with current design standards. The reconstruction effort will address critical vibration issues that currently necessitate a 10 miles per hour speed restriction and require ongoing maintenance interventions by District maintenance forces.

The bridge reconstruction project, scheduled for completion by July 31, 2029, will enhance the primary access route to the District Department of Public Works and National Park Service Kenilworth Maintenance Yard while accommodating the significant truck traffic volume that utilizes the facility. By eliminating structural deficiencies and vibration problems, the project will reduce the need for continuous emergency repairs and provide a sustainable long-term transportation infrastructure solution for the District's multimodal network.

Project description

Bridge 78 carries anacostia avenue over the anacostia river and primarily serves as access to a district department of public works (DPW) and NPS kenilworth maintenance yard. There is another project to connect benning road to foote ST. The bridge was constructed in AROUND1984 and carries 60% truck traffic. The bridge has a posted speed limit of 10 MPH due to the vibration issues on the structure. Ddot maintenance forces are constantly performing repairs on the structure and ddot requires a more long-term solution. The primary improvement goals of the bridge 78 reconstruction are to: • eliminate structural deficiencies, • improve safety and accessibility, • bring structure to current design standard, and • eliminate bridge vibration issues / speed restriction.