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

(Washington, DC) The planned closure of the Chain Bridge for this weekend has been postponed. The forecasted temperatures will be too cold for the concrete work and painting scheduled to be done between January 29 and February 1. Also, snow is predicted overnight Friday into Saturday.

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will reschedule the work for the following two weekends. Weather permitting, Chain Bridge will be closed:

• From 8 pm on Friday, February 5 to 5 am on Monday, February 8.
• From 8 pm on Friday, February 12 to 5 am on Monday, February 15.

Impact on Traffic

• There will be no access to the bridge from either the District or Arlington. That includes cyclists and pedestrians because the sidewalk will also be closed.
• Thru traffic on Canal Road will not be obstructed, but motorists will not be able to turn onto Chain Bridge.
• Motorists are advised to use alternate routes and river crossings including the American Legion, Key, Roosevelt, Memorial and 14th Street Bridges.
• Variable Messages Boards are in place to warn drivers of the work ahead and re-direct them to alternative routes.

This project was announced last May, and at the time DDOT said certain repairs on the bridge will require temporarily closing all of the lanes on some non-holiday weekends. The contractor has been able to avoid doing that to this point, but because crews will now be pouring new concrete, the bridge closures are necessary to give the concrete time to properly strengthen. Workers will also be replacing the expansion joints and streetlights on the bridge.

The project began June 1, 2009 and it is anticipated that all of the lanes on the bridge will reopen to traffic in mid-to-late February, weather permitting.

The current Chain Bridge was completed in 1939 and sits on stone piers from the 1870’s. It carries close to 22,000 cars a day and the last major rehabilitation of the bridge was done in the early 1980’s.