Contact (Media Only): Erik Linden (202) 671-2004 and Karyn LeBlanc (202) 671-3490

(Washington, DC) Improvements to the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge (sometimes referred to as the Capitol Street Bridge) are cancelled for this weekend due to inclement weekend weather forecasts.

The next scheduled bridge closure is the weekend of June 1-4. The off-peak weekend closures and repairs are needed to allow workers to safely replace bridge expansion joints with new joints (joints allow a bridge to flex when temperature changes occur).

The joint replacement work is in preparation for a major rehabilitation that will take place on the Frederick Douglass Bridge in July and August - at which time all lanes on the bridge will be closed in both directions.

In preparation for this summer's complete bridge closure, the District Department of Transportation last week launched an innovative program to spur greater use of transit and ridesharing by affected commuters. Modeled after a successful similar effort carried out by the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project, DDOT's Bridge Bucks program will provide $50 per month (for two months total) toward transit fares and vanpool fees to encourage commuters to switch out of their cars and into an alternative travel mode, including rail, bus or vanpool.

DDOT Bridge Bucks benefits are available on a first-come, first-served basis to the first 1,500 qualified enrollees who use the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge to travel to and from work on a daily basis.

Commuters may apply by visiting the Bridge Bucks webpage; those without Internet access may call the DDOT Bridge Bucks Team at (866) 922-8257.