(Washington, DC) The District Department of Transportation is starting work on the repair of the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge below M Street and invites public comment on proposed streetlight guidelines to provide communities with a range of lighting choices.

Wisconsin Avenue Bridge

The rebuilding of the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge over the C & O Canal is a yearlong project that will limit northbound traffic to one lane and detour southbound traffic to 29th, 30th and 31st Streets. The work hours will be 7am to 4pm, Monday through Friday with signs posted throughout Georgetown to alert motorists to the new traffic pattern. Every effort is being made to minimize project disruptions through continuing consultation with the Georgetown Business Improvement District, the Citizens Association of Georgetown, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E and other business and residential groups. 

Built in 1831 and registered as a national monument in 1961, the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge is made primarily of sandstone; it has suffered from weather-induced erosion and very heavy use over the years.

DDOT has just finished rebuilding the 31st Bridge over the canal; however six other foot and vehicle bridges along the canal need repair and reconstruction. The pedestrian bridges are at 34th, 33rd and Potomac Streets; the vehicular bridges are at Thomas Jefferson, 30th, and 29th Streets. DDOT is working with the National Park Service, the Federal Highway Administration and Eastern Federal Lands to plan these projects.