The Van Buren Bridge project replaced the existing Van Buren Bridge to accommodate pedestrians along the corridor to the East Falls Church Metro. The previous bridge had no pedestrian access and was identified as “structurally deficient” during its annual inspection. The new bridge accommodates two lanes of vehicular traffic and has a 12′ pedestrian walkway on the downstream side to support the volume of traffic.

Fort Myer was responsible for the replacement and expansion of the existing dual culvert on North Van Buren Street crossing Four Mile Run with a cast-in-place concrete slab bridge with architectural treatment. Fort Myer coordinated with Fairfax water to truncate a 4” water line and with Falls Church City Arborist & Arlington County Arborist to determine final RFA planting requirements.

 

Project Significance

This project involved extraordinary amount of public outreach to those affected by the work including local residents, vehicular traffic, pedestrians, and bicycle traffic that traveled the W&OD Trail daily. Due to the location of the project, and high pedestrian/bicycle traffic, it was critical that the bridge be reopened to the public in a timely manner. The existing bridge connected the W&OD Trail that many pedestrians took daily. Further, the project called for a 24” concrete deck slab to be installed, which posed a challenge during the winter months. FMCC and the City of Falls Church worked closely to complete this project on time.