A $4 billion bridge replacement and highway upgrade project is about to start to improve transportation conditions between Maryland and Virginia in the United States. The project aims to replace the existing American Legion Memorial Bridge, which carries heavy traffic on I-495 over the Potomac River, especially to the northwest of the capital Washington, DC.

Due to the heavy traffic volume, the old bridge often has serious delays during peak hours, and its concrete structure is seriously damaged and in urgent need of repair. The construction of the new bridge and the upgrade of the highway to the crossing point is expected to cost $4 billion and is scheduled to start in 2026 and is expected to be completed in 2032.

The bridge, which opened to traffic in 1962, was originally designed as a three-lane bidirectional bridge and was later widened to a five-lane bidirectional bridge in 1992. The new bridge will add lanes to ease traffic congestion during peak hours and provide dedicated lanes for bicycles and pedestrians for the first time. In addition, the project will include new toll lanes, which the Virginia Department of Transportation plans to add on a section of I-495.

Maryland and Virginia pledged a total of $1 billion in state funding for the project in a joint agreement signed in 2019, but the remaining $3 billion must be provided by the federal government. Currently, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) are jointly conducting river surveys to prepare for the project.

This upgrade project is part of a series of large-scale transportation improvement plans in Virginia and Maryland, aimed at improving regional transportation efficiency and safety and promoting economic and social development in the two states.Editor/Cheng Ting