Letter to the Hon. Ryan Zinke and Elaine Chao - Regarding Funding for Memorial Bridge

Letter

Dear Congressman Zinke and Ms. Chao:

With Inauguration Day looming, we write to you regarding an ongoing infrastructure problem that will be highlighted by the festivities on January 20th. The National Park Service (NPS), as a part of the Department of the Interior, has been working in conjunction with the Department of Transportation to repair the Arlington Memorial Bridge, a vital, yet dilapidated, artery for our nation's capital. Should you be confirmed as Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Transportation, respectively, we request that you do all in your power to see that the rehabilitation of Memorial Bridge is fully funded.

Memorial Bridge crosses over the Potomac River between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Designed to be an "Avenue of Heroes" and celebrate the reunification of the nation following the Civil War, the bridge is adorned by statues dedicated to valor and sacrifice. Memorial Bridge is not only a national memorial, but a critical multimodal link in the national capital region's transportation network. The bridge, which carries more than 68,000 vehicles per day, has suffered from decades of neglect and now requires heavy rehabilitation to prevent it from falling into a permanent state of disrepair. To prevent further deterioration of Memorial Bridge, a 10-ton load limit has been placed on the bridge until it is fully repaired, resulting in tour and school buses being forced to find alternate routes and incur additional travel time to carry children and tourists to our nation's capital.

Historically, Presidents have traveled across Memorial Bridge for wreath laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery on holidays such as Memorial Day and Veterans Day, but have recently been forced to use alternate routes after the weight limit was imposed in May 2015. Furthermore, an alternate route will most likely be needed the day before Inauguration Day, when the President-elect would typically travel across the bridge for a wreath laying ceremony in accordance with tradition. And although Memorial Bridge has always closed on Inauguration Day for civilian vehicular traffic, military personnel have typically traveled across the bridge in buses to participate in the festivities. These personnel were informed that they would need to find an alternate route for Inauguration this year. Further, current weight restrictions on the bridge have both national security and evacuation route implications.

The NPS was notified in February 2016 by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that without a full rehabilitation, estimated to cost $250 million, the 84-year old Memorial Bridge would be fully closed in 2021. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has said that closing the bridge would have a negative economic impact on the region of $75 million or more per year by 2021 in traffic delay costs alone. studies suggest that traffic from the bridge would spill over onto other area bridges, particularly the 14th Street Bridge and Roosevelt Bridge, further exacerbating congested roadways in Northern Virginia and Washington, DC.

The region's dependence on Memorial Bridge is why we, along with Representatives Connolly, Beyer, and Holmes Norton, wrote to NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis in April 2016 urging "in the strongest possible terms that the National Park Service (NPS) apply for funding through the Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies (FASTLANE) grant project." On July 5, 2016, the NPS received a $90 million FASTLANE grant for the massive rehabilitation project -- a vital first step to repairing the bridge.

Without additional funding, however, Memorial Bridge will be forced to spend millions of dollars in the coming years for emergency repairs and will still face permanent closure if full rehabilitation is not achieved. For these reasons, we strongly urge that you, if confirmed, make fully rehabilitating Memorial Bridge a top priority. This iconic structure remains in danger of falling into disrepair without significant additional investment.

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