K Street Bridge

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The K Street Bridge in 1993. The near parts of the circular ramps were intended to connect to the unbuilt North Leg of the Inner Loop Expressway and have since been demolished. AERIAL VIEW OF WHITEHURST FREEWAY AND K STREET OVERPASS, LOOKING WEST - Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, Washington, District of Columbia, DC HABS DC,WASH,686-5.tif
The K Street Bridge in 1993. The near parts of the circular ramps were intended to connect to the unbuilt North Leg of the Inner Loop Expressway and have since been demolished.
The span crossing Rock Creek in 2015. The three portions of the bridge built at different times are clearly distinguishable. K Street Bridge detail 2015.jpg
The span crossing Rock Creek in 2015. The three portions of the bridge built at different times are clearly distinguishable.

The K Street Bridge is a complex of bridges over Rock Creek and the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway in Washington, D.C. The lower level of the bridge carries the surface street K Street, while the upper level carries the Whitehurst Freeway (U.S. Route 29) which terminates and merges into K Street immediately east of the bridge. The central bridge is flanked by two flyover ramps that connect to the nearby terminus of Interstate 66. [1] [2]

Contents

The first bridge on the site was a stone arch bridge constructed in 1792; it was only the second crossing of Rock Creek built, the first being at M Street. This bridge was found to be unstable and its center arch was demolished in 1795. In 1869, a wood bridge was constructed, and in 1907 it was replaced by a steel-plate girder bridge. [1]

The completion of the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway in 1936 increased traffic on the K Street Bridge, necessitating its replacement. The lower level of the current bridge was constructed between 1939 and 1941, and the upper level, connecting to the Whitehurst Freeway, was constructed from 1947 to 1949. The designers of the current K Street Bridge also designed the Charles C. Glover Memorial Bridge farther up the river. The bridge is built of concrete, faced with gneiss. [1] The flanking ramps were constructed in the early 1960s. They initially contained unused branches intended to connect to the unbuilt North Leg of the Inner Loop Expressway. These ramps were demolished in the mid-1990s. [3] [4]

The bulk of the K Street Bridge, with its many ramps, was considered to be more of a visual barrier than the other bridges across Rock Creek. [1] This was a result of transportation efficiency taking precedence over aesthetic concerns in this case, perhaps because at the time of its construction the surrounding neighborhoods were industrial or poor residential areas. [3]

See also

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P Street Bridge

The P Street Bridge or Lauzun's Legion Bridge is a 336-foot (102 m) concrete arch bridge that conveys P Street across Rock Creek and Rock Creek Park between the Georgetown and Dupont Circle neighborhoods of Northwest Washington, D.C. The first bridge at this site was constructed in 1855 and was replaced in 1935 by the current structure.

M Street Bridge

The M Street Bridge, also known as the M Street Overpass, carries M Street across Rock Creek and the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway. It lies between the neighborhoods of Georgetown and Foggy Bottom in Northwest Washington, D.C. The non-arched design of the bridge contrasts with that of all the other bridges rising over the parkway.

Charles C. Glover Memorial Bridge

The Charles C. Glover Memorial Bridge or Massachusetts Avenue Bridge in Northwest Washington, D.C. conveys Massachusetts Avenue over Rock Creek and Rock Creek Park. The concrete arch bridge was constructed in 1939–41 and has a length of 386.2 feet (117.7 m).

Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge

The Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge conveys Pennsylvania Avenue across Rock Creek and the adjoining Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, between the neighborhoods of Georgetown and Foggy Bottom in Northwest Washington, D.C. Pennsylvania Avenue terminates at M Street immediately west of the bridge.

Boulder Bridge United States historic place

The Boulder Bridge is a historic bridge located in the Washington, D.C. portion of Rock Creek Park, an urban national park listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Shoreham Hill Bridge

The Shoreham Hill Bridge is a bridge carrying the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway across Rock Creek in Washington, DC. It is the most upstream of three bridges where the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway switches from one side of the river to the other, the others being the bridge near P Street and the L Street Bridge.

L Street Bridge

The L Street Bridge is a bridge carrying the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway over Rock Creek in Washington, D.C. It is the most downstream of three bridges where the Parkway switches from one side of the river to the other, the others being the bridge near P Street and the Shoreham Hill Bridge. Despite its name, the bridge does not carry or cross L Street, but it is adjacent to L Street's western terminus.

Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Bridge near P Street

The Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Bridge near P Street is a bridge carrying the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway across Rock Creek in Washington, DC. It is the middle of three bridges where the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway switches from one side of the river to the other, the others being the L Street Bridge and the Shoreham Hill Bridge. The bridge is near the site of a historical river ford used by French soldiers traveling to Yorktown in 1781. The bridge is reinforced concrete faced in mica schist.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ross, Amy (1992). Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. DC-20, " K Street Bridge " History and Description
  2. ↑ Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. DC-697, " Rock Creek & Potomac Parkway " (Drawing 10)
  3. 1 2 Davis, Timothy (1992). Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. DC-697, " Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway " History and Description, pp. 13, 109, 125
  4. ↑ "Interstate 66". AARoads. Retrieved 20 April 2015.

Coordinates: 38°54′09″N77°03′28″W / 38.902531°N 77.057725°W / 38.902531; -77.057725

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