Fort Myer Construction Corporation successfully completed the Glebe Road Bridge Replacement and Widening in Arlington County, Virginia for the Virginia Department of Transportation. Originally built in 1954, the Glebe Road Bridge over Arlington Boulevard is a vital north-south corridor serving tens of thousands of commuters each day. In order to ensure that delays to the traveling public were mitigated during construction, the bridge deck replacement was completed during off peak night hours using precast bridge deck panels. Fort Myer was responsible for executing seamless overnight operations involving several trades to guarantee that traffic could safely utilize the bridge during daytime hours. The widening of the bridge adds 27 more feet providing for a much needed dedicated left turn lane onto Route 50 westbound. This extra span further alleviates congested northbound traffic as well as improves bicycle and pedestrian sidewalks in both directions. Other features included new LED street lighting, new traffic signals at the bridge approaches, structural steel cleaning and painting, and drainage improvements within the project limits.

 

Project Significance

Fort Myer and VDOT successfully partnered to further reduce impact to the existing bridge and accelerate construction by constructing the new retaining walls outside of the existing walls to support the adjacent roadway. This engineering approach eliminated very difficult shoring in confined space and saved VDOT money by utilizing a portion of the existing structure.