Thousands of pedestrians in Ward 7 will be safer Thursday thanks to the reopening of the Douglas Street Pedestrian Bridge over Kenilworth Avenue.
“It’s safer, it’s wider, and it’s better lit,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser at the bridge’s grand opening on Thursday. “It has improved sidewalks.”
At the inaugural walk across the new bridge, the mayor — joined by the city’s Department of Transportation and members of the community — pointed out that people of all abilities will have an easier time using the bridge.
“Whether they are using a cane or a wheelchair, they will be able to access this very important pedestrian asset,” Bowser said.
The bridge crosses over the 295 corridor in Northeast and will help those that live in the neighborhoods of Parkside, Mayfair and Eastland Gardens get to the Deanwood Metro station.
The bridge’s construction cost about $17 million.
“I’m 61 years old, I don’t like going all the way around,” said Claude McCain, of Kenilworth. He told WTOP that the new pedestrian bridge will save him 40 minutes of extra walking a day.
The original Douglas Street Pedestrian Bridge was built in the 1950s.
“It was low. It ended before the service lanes. It was really unsafe for pedestrians,” said Sharon Kershbaum. “This is an upgrade in every sense of the way.”
The acting director of DDOT told WTOP that nearly $14 million of the $17 million bridge was funded by grants from the federal government.
After the mayor took the inaugural walk across the bridge, she expressed appreciation to the members of DDOT that were in attendance.
“I want to say thank you to all the people you see in the yellow jackets because they were able to get this bridge up and keep the highway open,” Bowser said.
WTOP’s Ciara Wells contributed to this report.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Douglas Street Pedestrian Bridge collapsed in 2021. The Lane Place bridge actually collapsed in 2021 after being struck by a truck. Our article has been updated with the correct information, and we apologize for the error.
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