WASHINGTON — More scaffolding has been going up around the Key Bridge as crews, directed by the District Department of Transportation, seal cracks and work on repairs as part of a major rehabilitation project.
The project has been ongoing since September, but activity has been increasing recently and the project is becoming more visible in the surrounding area.
“We have about 40,000 square feet of concrete patches and about 2,100 linear feet of concrete cracks that are all being addressed with this project,” said DDOT’s interim deputy chief engineer Rick Kenney in an interview with NBC Washington.
The bridge, which is flanked by Georgetown and Rosslyn, is the oldest bridge across the Potomac River within the District. It opened in 1923 and was updated and altered in 1939, 1955 and 1987.
The six-lane concrete and steel bridge is extremely busy and crowded, carrying more than 60,000 vehicles each day along with 8,000 pedestrians and cyclists. It is part of the National Highway System and carries U.S. Route 20 across the river.
DDOT officials say the bridge is still safe and people who cross it should not have anything to worry about. The $20 million rehab project is intended to maintain the structural integrity and reduce further damage from continued deterioration and aging.
“There is no risk of the bridge falling,” Kenney told NBC Washington. “Fortunately, these are cosmetic repairs. It’s the surface.”
In late 2015, DDOT identified areas needing repair and maintenance including cracks in the concrete deck and some of the abutments, arches and spandrel arches and piers.
DDOT officials tell NBC Washington that in the fall, the Jersey wall on top of the bridge will be strengthened and the iron fence will be painted, requiring a few lane closures that will be put in place during off-peak hours.
Work on the bridge project is expected to continue for about two years.
