The District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) is scheduled to begin the rehabilitation of the 9th Street and 10th Street, SW Bridges over I-395 on Monday, November 17, 2008. This extensive project is expected to take 360 days to complete and will require the closing of the 9th Street Bridge.

The project will make the bridges safer and more aesthetically pleasing. The concrete bridge deck on the 9th Street Bridge will be replaced, including a new walkway and staircase to Frontage Road at L’Enfant Plaza. The work will also include the replacement of the bridge bearings, structural repairs to the 10th Street Bridge beams, new roadway lighting, milling and resurfacing of the approach pavement and re-painting the exterior girders on the bridges. DDOT will also repair the roof slab of a DC Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) pumping station that is beneath 9th Street.

The 10th Street Bridge, and the two ramp bridges from the 9th Street tunnel to I-395, will remain open to traffic during most of the construction, although temporary closures may be necessary. Also, the lane configurations in the 9th Street tunnel will change from time to time so motorists are advised to use caution.

DDOT has installed traffic signs to warn motorists to expect construction delays and to direct them to alternate routes.  Residents and businesses in the area have also been notified about the project.

More information is available on DDOT’s website at ddot.dc.gov. There is a link to Major Construction Initiatives.  Or you may contact the DDOT project engineer, Deinma Jamabo at (202)671-4601.