Hallelujah! Kalmia Road NW Bridge Opens

Photo tweeted by DDOTDC

From DDOT:

“The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced today the completion of a nearly six-month construction project to install the new Kalmia Road NW Bridge. The project, which cost approximately $2 million, replaced a structurally-deficient culvert with a new bridge structure to help improve traffic flow and manage stormwater.

The existing culvert at this location partially collapsed in 2009. While the roadway approaches to the culvert remained structurally sound, DDOT replaced it with a new bridge structure to better accommodate the more the 16,000 daily trips that use the crossing and handle large rain events.

Unlike the culvert, the new, larger bridge allows more water to pass underneath, which minimizes overflow during heavy rainfalls. It also includes an additional westbound traffic lane to improve traffic flow and features a wider pedestrian walkway.

In addition to the installation of this new bridge, a 1940s-era 12” waterline was replaced.

Part of the reason that DDOT was able to complete the project in nearly six months—despite having to contend with extremely cold winter weather and large rainfalls in the spring—was by utilizing a “quick bridge” construction method.

This construction method allowed large bridge components to be made off-site and then transported to the project site for installation.”