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Tag: dc department of transportation

  • DC bridge that collapsed after truck crash has been rebuilt – WTOP News

    DC bridge that collapsed after truck crash has been rebuilt – WTOP News

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    A pedestrian bridge in the District that collapsed three years ago after a truck slammed into it has now been completely rebuilt and reopened to the public, officials with the D.C. transportation department said Friday.

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    DC bridge that collapsed after truck crash has been rebuilt

    A pedestrian bridge in the District that collapsed three years ago after a truck slammed into it has now been completely rebuilt and reopened to the public, officials with the D.C. transportation department said Friday.

    The “Lane Place Bridge” functions as a pathway over D.C. 295 between Deanwood and the Kenilworth and Eastland Gardens neighborhoods.

    When it came crumbling down in June of 2021, it impacted the lives of residents in Northeast, stopping them from being able to easily cross to the other side of the busy highway.

    According to the transportation department, the project to rebuild the bridge was funded through the use of $17 million in federal emergency money.

    “The new bridge will improve access to mass transit and other neighborhoods for residents in Mayfair, Parkside, Eastland Gardens and the surrounding communities of Ward 7,” the department said in a statement.

    The rebuilt bridge is about 3 feet taller than the original one.

    According to the transportation department, it is 17 feet and 6 inches high, while the old bridge’s height was 14 feet and 4 inches.

    The taller bridge ensures “safer passage for vehicles traveling below,” the department said.

    Multiple cars were involved in a chain-reaction crash after the truck hit the bridge, leaving five people injured.

    A pedestrian bridge in the District that collapsed three years ago after a truck slammed into it has now been completely rebuilt and reopened to the public.
    (WTOP/Nick Iannelli)

    WTOP/Nick Iannelli

    New Bridge
    The “Lane Place Bridge” functions as a pathway over D.C. 295 between Deanwood and the Kenilworth and Eastland Gardens neighborhoods.
    (WTOP/Nick Iannelli)

    WTOP/Nick Iannelli

    The aftermath of the 2021 bridge collapse in Northeast D.C.
    (WTOP/Michelle Basch)

    WTOP/Michelle Basch

    The aftermath of the 2021 bridge collapse in Northeast D.C.
    (WTOP/Michelle Basch)

    WTOP/Michelle Basch

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Nick Iannelli

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  • DC leaders look to increase safety on Taft Bridge by raising pedestrian barriers – WTOP News

    DC leaders look to increase safety on Taft Bridge by raising pedestrian barriers – WTOP News

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    Lawmakers in D.C. have developed a new railing design for the Taft Bridge over Rock Creek Park to prevent more deaths.

    There was a public meeting Saturday to gather community input on the design of a railing improvement project for D.C.’s Taft Bridge.
    (WTOP/Grace Newton)

    WTOP/Grace Newton

    Taft Bridge railing redesign
    The new design would increase the height of barriers placed on either side of the bridge from 4 to 8 feet.
    (WTOP/Grace Newton)

    WTOP/Grace Newton

    Taft Bridge railing redesign
    Officials hope to complete the railings final design by the fall.
    (WTOP/Grace Newton)

    WTOP/Grace Newton

    Yuji Nishioka giving a presentation
    Yuji Nishioka, the project’s lead architect, giving a presentation.
    (WTOP/Grace Newton)

    WTOP/Grace Newton

    Between 2010 and 2022, D.C. saw 26 bridge-related fatalities. Half of those happened on the Taft Bridge over Rock Creek Park.

    Now, lawmakers are looking for community input on how to improve the bridge’s safety.

    D.C.’s Department of Transportation and Department of Behavioral Health hosted a public meeting Saturday to gather community input on the design of a railing improvement project for the bridge.

    According to the project’s website, the design is meant to “incorporate the existing features of the Taft Bridge to minimize impact to the historic fabric of the bridge.”

    The Taft Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

    Officials said they’ve been working on the new design for 10 months. It would increase the height of barriers placed on either side of the bridge from 4 to 8 feet.

    Alternative designs considered include the addition of a glass panel or a net to either side.

    “I looked at earlier designs, which would have been effective, but less beautiful,” one community member said. “I think we’ve got a good one here.”

    But, of course, aesthetic was not the only consideration in the railing’s redesign.

    “This is a public health project with a transportation asset,” said Richard Bebout, chief of crisis services for the D.C. Department of Behavioral Health.

    “And the principles that really drive our operation here are increasing access to care and decreasing access to lethal means.”

    Community member Chelsea Van Thof’s partner died by suicide on the Taft. She recalls seeing police lights through the barrier that’s currently placed on the Duke Ellington Memorial Bridge, just perpendicular to Taft Bridge, the night he died.

    “Once I learned why there was a barrier on one and not the other and started learning more about how effective barriers are, I kind of made it my mission to make sure that nobody you know, has the Taft as an option when they’re in a temporary crisis,” Van Thof said.

    “Also, that nobody who loves someone in crisis has to experience the loss of someone to suicide, you know, particularly with this method or otherwise.”

    Officials hope to complete the railings final design by the fall.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Grace Newton

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