Media Contact: John Lisle (DDOT) at (202) 671-2004

(Washington, DC) The Fenty Administration is pleased to announce that $7.2M has been awarded to the District Department of Transportation for two grants as announced by the White House yesterday. The Northeast Corridor states and 21 additional states will receive over $8 billion for high-speed and intercity passenger rail grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“The District is honored and very pleased to have been chosen to receive this additional ARRA funding to further support our transportation needs,” said Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. “The Long Bridge study is of utmost importance to the vitality and continued economic development of this city with long term impacts to commerce, tourism, and travel.”

DDOT received monies for two grants including $4.3 million for replacement of escalators in the parking garage at Union Station and $2.9 million towards the replacement of the Long Bridge over the Potomac River.

DDOT is working in conjunction with the Union Station Restoration Company to replace 10 escalators in the Union Station parking garage. The escalators provide access to all levels of the parking garage and the bus parking deck. The bus parking deck serves two DC Circulator bus routes, currently 3 intercity bus operators, and numerous charter buses which park there on a daily basis. The project is fully designed and ready to advertise for construction.

The escalators will have a “sleep mode” capability for energy conservation. The project will provide 27 months of employment for 6 or 7 people for the demolition and installation at the site.

The over 100-year-old Long Bridge over the Potomac River is located east of I-395 and south of East Potomac Park in the District of Columbia. It is a major east-coast freight bridge that carries CSX freight, Virginia Railway Express commuter trains, and all Amtrak trains headed south from Union Station. The project includes preliminary engineering and preparation of NEPA documentation. The Long Bridge connects the northeast with the southeast United States via DC. Approximately 21 states have intercity passenger trains which use the Long Bridge. Most of the bridge was constructed around the start of the 20th century and additional improvements were added during or shortly before WWII.