A new report from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association paints a troubling picture of our nation’s crumbling infrastructure. A startling number of America’s bridges are structurally weakening, including our own Arlington Memorial Bridge. Opened in 1932, Memorial Bridge connects the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial as a symbol of national reconciliation after the deep divides of the Civil War.
Today Memorial Bridge not only is an important historic site, it provides access to Arlington National Cemetery, and serves as a major commuter route and a key element of the emergency evacuation plan for D.C. The deteriorating bridge requires $250 million in rehabilitation. A special grant recently secured by the National Park Service falls almost $40 million short.
This is hardly an isolated case. Across the National Park System, there are $12 billion in needed repairs that the Park Service does not have the money to make. This repair backlog threatens some of America’s most important places, here in Virginia and across the country.
The Trump Administration and our members of Congress must work together to provide park managers the resources and support needed to protect America’s favorite and most meaningful places.
Sean T. Cassidy
Arlington