Arlington Memorial Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Memorial Bridge, looking from the Virginia side of the Potomac River across to the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. |
|
| Crosses | Potomac River |
|---|---|
| Locale | Washington, D.C. |
| Design | Arch bridge |
| Total length | 660 m |
| Opening date | January 16, 1932 |
Arlington Memorial Bridge connects Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, with the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. across the Potomac River. The eastern end of the bridge marks the western edge of the National Mall.
The bridge's construction was authorized by Congress on February 24, 1925 and formally opened on January 16, 1932. Designed by architectural firm McKim, Mead and White, the neo-classical bridge is 2,163 feet (660 m) long. The ends of the bridge are flanked by two pairs of equestrian statues sculpted by Leo Friedlander.
The closest Metro stop to the bridge is Arlington Cemetery. The bridge connects, both literally and symbolically, the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House, the home of Robert E. Lee. This placement was done intentionally to represent the reunification of the north and the south.
At the western terminus on Columbia Island, the bridge and its connecting roadways connect with the George Washington Parkway and with State Route 27 and State Route 110. At the eastern terminus, the bridge and its connecting roadways connect with Constitution Avenue, Independence Avenue, the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, and the District of Columbia segment of Interstate 66.
A peculiarity of the traffic circle at the western terminus is that traffic already in the circle must yield to traffic entering the circle — the exact opposite of the usual rule. During morning rush hour, a portion of the traffic circle is closed to prevent mergers that would otherwise tie up rush-hour traffic.
[edit] Source
| Bridges of the Potomac River | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Upstream Theodore Roosevelt Bridge   |
Arlington Memorial Bridge |
Downstream George Mason Memorial Bridge   (southbound) |
|
