FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — It will go down as one of our region’s worst rush hours in recent memory.
The busy American Legion bridge—integral to countless commutes on the Capital Beltway— was closed most of the evening rush Thursday by an overturned tractor trailer and it didn't reopen until early Friday morning just before rush hour.
No doubt this left many motorists wondering about a good detour. But several ideas for an alternative Potomac River crossing have been scrapped and new highway projects still rely on the bridge to carry traffic.
But there is a glimmer of hope.
In January, Maryland's highway administrator confirmed that replacing the bridge itself -- the region's worst bottleneck -- is at the top of his list. Greg Slater said a new bridge will be phase one of Gov. Larry Hogan's $9 billion Beltway widening project.
"We are focused on the bridge as our first order of business," said Slater.
The administrator declined to offer a firm timeline, but the bridge will be replaced not just in our lifetimes, but in the next few years.
Overturned tanker snarls traffic, closes Inner Loop of Beltway
"That's the goal, we want to get out there and move that traffic," said Slater.
It’s a major commitment to drivers who face major traffic on the bridge — one of the biggest lynchpins in our area in spite of five lanes of traffic in each direction. The inner loop of the Beltway across the bridge from Fairfax County into Montgomery County was closed Thursday afternoon and evening.
Plans to make the bridge less busy by building another Potomac River crossing have largely been scrapped, mired in decades of bureaucracy.
The planned Three Sisters Bridge, connecting Arlington to Georgetown, was scrapped in the 1970s amidst public outcry.
Ideas for a bridge connecting Loudoun County and Montgomery County have been considered, but Maryland’s large agricultural preserve remains a stumbling block to development.
On Twitter, @wikimapper said the crash is “why we need a Second Potomac crossing between VA 28 and MD 200.”
“A new Potomac River bridge west of the American Legion Bridge would increase regional connectivity, improve access to Dulles Airport, reduce congestion, and spur further economic development in Loudoun and Montgomery Counties,” said nonprofit Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance.
But for now, the two plans are merely platitudes—leading to nothing but gridlock.
The State of Maryland is holding workshops about how to tackle Beltway backups. There are six in April. Find out how to be a part of the discussion here.