Fanfare Above the Potomac

Photos
Ceremonial Opening of Wilson Bridge
A long-awaited structure connecting Virginia and Maryland was inaugurated when the drawbridge on the first of two spans of a new Woodrow Wilson Bridge was lowered into place, providing fresh hope to drivers who sit in jams like the ones seen on the shores of the Potomac River below.

As the celebration took place, workers were building the second span. One crew positioned lines of reinforcing steel on unfinished concrete piers, while another operated heavy machinery on the Virginia shore.

For the few dozen workers at the event, it was a day for cheer and gratification. They came with family members, posed for pictures and recorded the proceedings with video cameras.

Regina Lumpkin, an assistant with American Bridge Co., videotaped everything she could. Her job is to handle forms and coordinate supplies and make sure that "everybody is pretty much where they're supposed to be," she said. She was tickled to be on the bridge, she said, celebrating what had been accomplished. "I feel like I've played a pretty good part in it," she said.

The governors delivered different messages about what the bridge means.

Ehrlich touted the bridge as a catalyst for economic development, saying that it would enable growth in both states and particularly in Prince George's. "Breaking this bottleneck is a major win for our collective economic development," Ehrlich said.

Kaine, who backs a plan to raise state taxes to pay for about $1 billion more a year for transportation projects, said the bridge was a testament to what is possible when the region works together and invests in infrastructure. Kaine said such projects as the bridge and the Springfield interchange help "combat some feelings citizens have gotten that it's so bad there's no solution."

Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.) delighted the crowd with the story of how money was raised for the bridge. "It was June 3rd, 1998, and I was a young senator in those days," the 79-year-old Warner began.

He was one of five senators discussing how to allocate money in a transportation bill. One by one, the senators said what they wanted. Then it was Warner's turn.

"I said I wanted a billion dollars," Warner recalled. He was met with silence by his fellow senators. So he launched into a patriotic speech about how a young Dwight Eisenhower -- even before he became president -- saw the value of a national system of highways and how the Wilson bridge was a vital link in that interstate system.

More silence, Warner said. Finally, the chairman turned to him and said: "Okay. Nine hundred million dollars for old Ike." Two years later, Warner helped secure another $600 million, and the states chipped in the rest.

"There's much said in Congress about building bridges to nowhere," Warner said, referring to the controversial funding of a $223 million bridge that links a small Alaskan town to a sparsely populated island. "This bridge is a bridge to everywhere, and it's worth every penny."