WASHINGTON, DC – The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) today announced the completion of the 11th Street Bridge Project’s first major construction milestone: all 63 river piles for the three new bridges have been driven in the Anacostia River. The 110-foot-long concrete piles that will form the core of the new bridges’ foundations were pounded into the river bed since construction began in December.

“Completion of these river piles marks an important step toward improving travel in the District of Columbia,” said Gabe Klein, DDOT Director. “The 11th Street Bridge Project is critical to improving local access across the river and commuter travel between two key freeways, and alternative transportation options through bike, pedestrian, and streetcar access.

“We appreciate the understanding of neighbors and travelers during this phase of work. We look forward to further partnering with them to minimize impacts during the remainder of project construction and landside pile driving.”

The new bridges will continue to take shape in the months ahead as contractors form four piers for each bridge by building struts and caps on the piles then begin erecting structural steel for the bridge decks this fall. Additional work with landside pile driving is also underway to improve connections to the Anacostia Freeway (I-295/DC-295) and the Southeast-Southwest Freeway.

The $300-million project is a major part of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s program of improving the District’s transportation network, and it is DDOT’s first design-build-to-budget bridge. Scheduled for completion in mid-2013, the project’s three new bridges – one for local and two for freeway traffic – will:

• Improve mobility by providing separate freeway and local traffic connections to both directions of DC 295, the Southeast-Southwest Freeway and local streets on both sides of the Anacostia River.
• Provide a shared path for pedestrians and bicycles, as well as rails to allow future streetcar connections
• Replace the existing functionally deficient and structurally obsolete bridges
• Provide an additional alternate evacuation route from our Nation’s Capital, and
• Include new trail connections, improved drainage and other environmental investments

The new bridges are being constructed between the existing bridges, allowing contractors to maintain all existing travel movements and 12-foot travel lanes except during approved work in off-peak travel hours.

DDOT continues to work closely with local residents, civic associations and community groups throughout construction of these bridges. Contractors practice good neighbor construction by establishing designated haul routes, having most materials delivered via the river or highway, controlling dust, and requiring that workers not park on neighborhood streets. Noise and vibration levels are being monitored at all times.

For more information, visit http://www.theanacostiawaterfront.com/11thstreet.jsp or email ddotpublicaffairs@dc.gov.

Aerial photographs of the pile driving are posted at facebook.com/ddotdc.