ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 30, 1996 TAG: 9605300090
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: ALEXANDRIA
SOURCE: Associated Press
A bridge that looks something like Washington, D.C.'s famous stone monuments could be the best option to replace the decrepit Potomac River bridge that connects Virginia with Maryland, planners say.
Graceful concrete arches soaring more than 150 feet into the air and carrying 12 lanes of traffic would be both functional and beautiful, say many of the officials mulling options for a new Woodrow Wilson Bridge.
The bridge would have a distinctly Washington look by building arches like those on Washington's other Potomac crossings, as well as the Jefferson Memorial and even National Airport's new main terminal.
Building a beautiful bridge has become a priority among regional officials, who after months of hearings and workshops have narrowed the options for a Wilson Bridge replacement to two designs.
The crumbling six-lane bridge was designed 35 years ago to carry 75,000 vehicles a day, but now carries 172,000.
A high bridge would cost about $1.6 billion, engineers estimate.
Planners are talking about creating a ``signature'' structure to carry the Capital Beltway between Alexandria and Prince George's County, Md. It would do for the Potomac what the Golden Gate Bridge does for San Francisco Bay and the Brooklyn Bridge does for the East River. That's the theory, at least.
To make sure that beauty doesn't play second fiddle to engineering, the Wilson Bridge Study Committee held a design competition a month ago and chose a plan that features interlocking arch construction, done by San Francisco-based T.Y. Lin International.
Making a bridge both beautiful and functional is a challenge, said David Gendell, the regional administrator for the Federal Highway Administration, who heads the 14-member committee of state, local and federal officials choosing a replacement design. ``And frankly, the T.Y. Lin proposal is the first 12-lane bridge that has really caught the imagination of the committee. Washington ... and they produced something that is aesthetically pleasing.''
Now engineers will try to determine what levels of noise and pollution would come with a high bridge, which would present trucks with a steep grade and could slow heavy vehicles to 35 mph. A bridge that rises to a level of at least 135 feet above the river would eliminate the need for a drawbridge. The current drawbridge is 50 feet above the water.
Public hearings will be held in September, and the committee will choose a final design in October, officials said.
The other alternative would be a combination bridge-tunnel crossing estimated to cost $2.1 billion. It could include a high six-lane fixed bridge or a drawbridge 70 feet above the water.
LENGTH: Medium: 55 linesby CNB