George Washington Memorial Parkway Superintendent Charles Cuvelier hosted a ribbon cutting on May 19 for the bridge across Dyke Marsh on the Mount Vernon Trail, a bridge that replaces one that was nearing the end of its useful life. Glenda Booth, Supervisor Dan Storck (in yellow with bike helmet) and U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (in blue shirt) joined in.
During a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 19, the National Park Service (NPS) officially reopened Bridge 23 on the Mount Vernon Trail, located within the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve. Cyclists and pedestrians can now safely use the newly reconstructed bridge, which was damaged from prior floods.
Overlooking the wetland and out to the Potomac River, the 1,070-foot-long bridge is a popular site for studying marsh life like wetland plants, birds, dragonflies and other wildlife in the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve.
Construction for Bridge 23 began in the summer of 2023, following the completion of neighboring Bridge 24. The NPS worked closely with community partners throughout the design and construction phases. The NPS replaced and widened Bridge 23, added new pedestrian safe handrails and an updated bench and overlook.
The National Park Service closed one of the northbound lanes on the south GW Memorial Parkway for a year during construction to divert the Mount Vernon Trail onto the road and replace the bridge. This caused some backups on the Parkway most weekdays. NPS officials say that these barriers will be removed in the coming weeks.
The bridge was constructed using an innovative method to minimize the footprint of the project and to prevent harm to the underlying marsh ecosystem. Each bridge section was built individually, with construction equipment on top of the previously installed sections. To eliminate the need for construction equipment to drive over the marsh, new sections were then added from the top of the bridge, bypassing the standard approach of building up from the bottom.
The project was partially funded through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration.
Mount Vernon Trail is an 18-mile paved multi-use trail stretching from George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate to Theodore Roosevelt Island and is enjoyed by millions of visitors every year. The trail is a hub for recreational activity and connects with regional trails including the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, Custis Trail, Rock Creek Park Multi-Use Trail, Four Mile Run Trail and Woodrow Wilson Bridge Trail.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is a $1 trillion investment in America’s infrastructure and the single largest investment in road and bridge repair and reconstruction since the interstate highway system was built. The law allows the NPS to make strategic and significant investments to repair critical infrastructure as well as enhance conservation and recreation opportunities.