Work on Bridge to Restrict Inner Loop Traffic Through Weekend

Work to shift the Capital Beltway's inner loop onto the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge began last night and was proceeding on schedule, a project spokesman said.

Motorists on the inner loop, which carries vehicles from Maryland into Virginia, experienced delays of about an hour as three lanes of traffic were squeezed into a single lane to make room for paving, said project spokesman John Undeland.

Undeland reported that at one time the backup was about 2 1/2 miles.

Project managers continued to warn motorists that they should avoid the Potomac River crossing this weekend.

The work began about 8 p.m., with lane closures, and it was scheduled to be completed by 5 a.m. Monday at the latest.

Outer loop traffic, on Interstate 495 and northbound Interstate 95, was switched over to the new span last month in a weekend of work that caused few delays. But the inner loop presents a different set of problems that could cause lengthy backups.

Undeland said this week that he feared that drivers would suffer "message fatigue" and not take the warnings seriously, especially after the smooth outer loop switchover.

The diversion of traffic to the American Legion Bridge, west of Washington, which proved effective in June, is not feasible this time, because so many major roads connect to the Beltway in Maryland.

Last summer, shifts of inner loop traffic produced backups as long as seven miles and delays as long as three hours.

This weekend, workers are adding as much as 36 inches of asphalt to the bridge approaches to connect the Beltway to the new span. During the work, the inner loop will be cut to a single lane for four miles, from the Route 210 interchange in Maryland to the Route 1 interchange in Virginia.

The changeover to the new bridge is scheduled to be made today, but even after the switch is done, traffic will be restricted to one lane while work continues.

Officials advised travelers to use the western side of the Beltway, Route 301 through Maryland or Interstate 395 through the District.

Once traffic shifts to the new bridge, workers will take apart the old one to allow construction of a second new span.