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

The District of Columbia Department of Public Works received a $1.52 million formula grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under the Highway Planning and Construction program (CFDA 20.205) to reconstruct Bridge 78, which carries Anacostia Avenue over the Anacostia River outlet in Washington, DC. The award, issued on September 12, 2025, with an ultimate completion date of July 31, 2029, will fund the comprehensive reconstruction of this critical infrastructure asset that primarily provides access to a District Department of Public Works and National Park Service Kenilworth maintenance yard.

The reconstruction project addresses multiple infrastructure deficiencies and safety concerns affecting the bridge, which was constructed approximately in 1984 and currently carries 60 percent truck traffic. Key deliverables include elimination of structural deficiencies, improvement of safety and accessibility features, modernization to current design standards, and resolution of vibration issues that have necessitated a posted 10 miles per hour speed restriction. The funding will enable DC Public Works to transition from ongoing maintenance repairs to a comprehensive long-term solution that brings the bridge infrastructure to contemporary engineering and safety specifications.

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.